Sergeant who punched detainee in head keeps his job

The incident happened at Hatfield Police Station in February 2023

A former sergeant who used "excessive force" and punched a man in the head multiple times in a cell has been allowed to continue policing.

Peter Glover, of Hertfordshire Police, was demoted to police constable after he was found guilty of gross misconduct in relation to his treatment of a detainee.

Glover hit Alex Halifax in the head three times and struck his body with his knee while he was in custody at Hatfield Police Station in February 2023, a hearing was told.

The panel, which also heard he dragged his knee down Mr Halifax's back and forced his arm up his back towards his neck, described the seriousness of the offence as "moderate".

Peter Glover has been a police officer since 2008

At the time of the incident, Glover, who became a police officer in 2008, was working as a custody sergeant and had a "responsibility for the safety of detainees".

He had also previously been the subject of a report in August 2022 after concerns were raised about the aftercare he provided to a detainee following the use of force.

Glover first came into contact with Mr Halifax during the early hours of 12 February 2023 after the suspect was arrested in Watford town centre and taken into custody.

While the detainee was in his cell, the officer "weighed in and initiated an unexpected use of force”, despite being in a “controlled environment".

The incident happened in front of inexperienced officers.

'Gross misconduct'

The panel said Mr Halifax was "not offering significant resistance" and it would not have been reasonable for Glover to believe he was in "immediate danger".

Following his release later that day, Mr Halifax made a complaint about how he had been treated, prompting the launch of a misconduct investigation.

The panel took into account mitigating factors, including Glover’s "positive contribution" and character witnesses describing him as "hard-working and well-respected".

They deemed Glover "not fundamentally unfit to be a police officer", but said he had "fallen short with regards to judgement and management in a supervisory role".

They concluded his actions amounted to gross misconduct.

Hertfordshire Police said it "expects the highest standards of conduct from all its officers and staff".

A spokesperson added: "Those who fall short of those standards will face misconduct procedures."