Trainee police officer quit after 'vile' message

Akhtar Khan was half way through a training course with Thames Valley Police in Berkshire when she quit

A trainee police officer arrested after she sent a "threatening and vile" message on Instagram could still serve in the role in the future.

Akhtar Khan was 13 weeks into a 26-week training course with Thames Valley Police (TVP) in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, when she was reported by a woman, a friend of her sister, for sending the message.

After being arrested in November 2024, she accepted a conditional caution for a malicious communications offence and resigned from TVP two days later.

TVP's chief constable Jason Hogg found that the 23-year-old's conduct fell below the required standard, but that she might mature and be an asset to the police.

He said that while the message she sent was "highly offensive", and she had been "naive… and foolish", it would have been disproportionate to sack her on the basis of the single message.

Mr Hogg said he was "uncomfortable" with dismissing Ms Khan, in effect barring her from working as a police officer again.

"In 10 or 20 years' time, [she] is likely to have grown as a person," he added.