Long arm of the paw! Top officer faces gross misconduct probe over 'bias' against... a police dog charity

By REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR Published: 23:59, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 00:00, 22 June 2026 One of Britain's top policewomen is being investigated for alleged gross misconduct by snubbing a police dog charity. Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Pippa Mills is being probed for 'bias' against Thin Blue Paw Foundation. The charity alleges it was 'bullied by isolation' and that she refused to engage with it, leading to it being excluded from events. She is accused of giving preference to groups such as the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals (NFRSA) because of 'personal friendship'. Thin Blue Paw, which cares for serving and retired dogs, sent the Met a picture of Ms Mills, 51, joining a 1,000-mile charity ride on a police motorcycle to raise money for the NFRSA. The Met dismissed the complaint last August.  But the Independent Office for Police Conduct has now ordered a fresh inquiry by the National Crime Agency.  Ms Mills, a former West Mercia Chief Constable, is on secondment to the National Police Chiefs Council, where she monitors police dog handling.  Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Pippa Mills (pictured) is being investigated for alleged 'bias' against Thin Blue Paw Foundation Thin Blue Paw cares for serving and retired dogs. This image shows a retired police dog campaigning outside the Houses of Parliament in June 2025  She was in charge of security for William and Kate's wedding and Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. Senior colleagues are shocked at the gross misconduct probe over 'such a low-level complaint'. Ms Mills has denied the claims, saying she has never tried to discourage police forces and organisations from working with Thin Blue Paw. Separately, Ms Mills is also being investigated by the Met for allegedly bullying staff working under her command in the force. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.