Police logged the disappearance of a pint of milk as an official crime
Thirsty police officers reported a theft from their own police station — after someone made off with a pint of milk.
Officers were so angry when the skimmed milk went missing during a raid on their canteen fridge that they logged it as an official crime. Details of the “theft” are unclear but it is thought officers suspected a colleague of taking it to use in their tea or cereal.
The carton — which had a set of initials scrawled on the lid in an unsuccessful bid to deter thieves — was never recovered and the 2012 crime remains officially unsolved.
Devon and Cornwall Police were forced to reveal the missing milk probe following a Freedom of Information request. A spokesman for the force said staff are encouraged to report stolen goods regardless of value.
The pint was among more than 25 items reported stolen on force property between 2010 and 2013 – 18 of which were officially logged as crimes. The swiped belongings also included a tin of biscuits which went missing from Heavitree police station in Plymouth in February 2012. The only stolen object ever recovered was a missing car number plate.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We encourage all staff to report thefts regardless of value of which there are only a very small number as you would expect. “In the spirit of openness and transparency these details are recorded and made available to the public through freedom of information requests.”
The Dairy-Related Crime Files 