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AC Helen Ball called his actions 'extremely sad'.

A detective sergeant jailed for stealing around £75,000 seized from Heathrow passengers has been dismissed from the Met police.

Former DS Michael Harrington, a financial investigator at Heathrow Airport, stole almost £80,000 from people travelling out of the airport between October 2010 and July 2015.

Instead of seizing the cash he used it as a personal piggybank.

Last month at Southwark Crown Court Harrington was jailed for four-and-a-half years and on Thursday a Met Police special case hearing was held into allegations his conduct amounted to a breach of professional behaviour.   

The chairman of the hearing found the allegation of discreditable conduct, duties and responsibilities and honesty and integrity proven as gross misconduct and he was dismissed without notice.

Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball, said: “Former DS Michael Harrington admitted stealing nearly £75,000 from sixteen innocent people.

"He was a police officer in a position of trust and he had a duty and responsibility to behave in accordance not only with our professional standards of behaviour, but of course, the law. 

“It is extremely sad that his actions caused such harm to a number of the victims and indeed the reputation of the MPS.

“These actions are not representative of the vast majority of the members of the MPS who work tirelessly to keep London safe and do so with the very highest standards of professional behaviour.”

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