A traffic cop who once warned speeding drivers “this is not Silverstone” has been sacked for going 154 mph in a police car while on duty.
PC Adam Smith was dismissed by North Yorkshire Police after a misconduct hearing found him guilty of gross misconduct. Smith was caught driving at 154 mph and 98 mph on the same journey, shortly after filming a force publicity video aimed at cracking down on ‘street racing’ in Selby.
The hearing, which took place on Friday, May 24, was told both incidents happened on the A1(M) northbound and that there was “no police purpose for the excessive speed”.
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He admitted his behaviour breached the standard of professional behaviour and amounted to Gross Misconduct, a report of the hearing said. Smith was sacked with immediate effect and placed on the college of policing barred list.
North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Tim Forber, who chaired the misconduct hearing, said: “I am rightly concerned about the number of persons killed or seriously injured on the road network.
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“The primary cause of this is excess speed and the force rightly undertakes extensive speed enforcement and prevention activity. The actions of PC Smith, driving at speeds of up to 154mph with no policing purpose for doing so, have undermined the legitimacy of the force in this regard.”
Smith was the public face of the force’s crackdown on street racing in the Selby district in North Yorkshire in 2022. He was filmed on patrol and warned drivers “this is Selby not Silverstone” after reports of more than 100 cars taking part in a regular ‘Sunday cruise’ in the area.
Smith said members of the public in rural villages had contacted police, prompting them to set up a dedicated road safety operation to patrol the area every Sunday. Speaking to camera, he said: “We are out in force tonight and as the night has gone on, we have seen upwards of 100 cars in and around the area.
“Purely by being here, we quelled issues, however we have still seen unfortunately some bad driving. By being marked down here in a constant presence as the night goes on, we should hopefully see a reduction in the issues we’ve been having down here.”
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