Female police officer, 52, who stole more than £14,000 in cash from evidence stores is facing jail 

A police evidence officer who plundered more than £14,000 from evidence stores over four years faces jail after pleading guilty.  

Lisa Arnold, 52, worked as an evidence officer for Dorset police and had access to bank notes seized in previous police operations.

She used her position to plunder wads of notes on 17 separate occasions – totalling £14,494.

A court heard she targeted uncounted cash in envelopes and carefully sliced the bottom open and took out wads of notes.

Arnold pleaded guilty to stealing the money from 17 exhibits and will be sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court in January. She was granted unconditional bail 

Arnold, 52, stole more than £14,000 over three years, despite Dorset Police holding two investigations into the disappearance of the money 

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She then sealed them back up with sellotape to cover her tracks.

She started stealing money from the safes in Dorset Police headquarters at Winfrith, near Dorchester, in 2018 and spent three-and-a-half years going back for more.

Despite two internal investigations into money going missing from the station, she did not stop stealing until she was caught on March 19, 2022.

Arnold hid the money in her wardrobe for periods of time before making numerous deposits in her bank account so not to arouse suspicion.

Her work as a property researcher allowed her unrestricted access to a wide range of material being logged for all the cases in Dorset.

Arnold, from Swanage, Dorset, appeared at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court today and pleaded guilty to stealing £14,494 between October 14, 2018 to March 19, 2022. 

Her case has been adjourned and she will be sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court due to the severity of her crimes.

Presiding magistrate Romana Phillips said the crime was bigger than the punishments that the magistrates could impose and refered her case to the Crown Court. 

She said: ‘The offence is so serious you may need greater punishment than we can give.

‘You are committed to the crown court for sentencing. We ask as well that you cooperate with the probation service to prepare a pre-sentence report.’

Elizabeth Valera, prosecuting, told the court: ‘In 2018, she joined Dorset Police headquarters into the property unit.

‘She was a property researcher which meant she logged exhibits going into the safes.

‘Often this was money and often it was uncounted. It’s quite clear when the envelopes have cash in them.

‘Mrs Arnold tells us she would look for uncounted exhibits and open the bottom of them and then take out cash before resealing them with sellotape.

‘Often exhibits are taken in and out of the safe by officers so it wasn’t noticed for some time.

‘She accepts over four years she did that to 17 exhibits and stole £14,494.20.’

Arnold will appear for sentencing at Bournemouth Crown Court on January 6.

She was granted unconditional bail.