Serving Met Police officer hit pedestrian with his car before driving off

A serving Met Police officer hit a pedestrian with his car before driving off, a misconduct hearing has heard.

PC David Niven, of the Met’s North West Command Unit, hit a pedestrian crossing a carriageway at around 10pm on February 25 last year while driving along High Road, Finchley.

He failed to stop at the scene and the man was rushed to a north London hospital. His condition was later assessed as not life-threatening.

PC Niven attended a police station and was arrested on February 26, resigning from the Met the following month.

He pleaded guilty to failing to stop at the scene of an accident and driving a vehicle without consideration to other users at Willesden Magistrates Court in October last year. PC Niven was fined £445 and received eight penalty points on his driving licence.

At a misconduct hearing on Thursday, PC Niven was found to have breached the force’s standards of professional behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct.

Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball, who chaired the hearing, concluded that his actions amounted to gross misconduct and that, had he still been serving, he would have been dismissed.