Police officer cleared of gross misconduct over patka removal

At the time the complaint against police was made, there were protests outside Perry Barr custody suite

A police sergeant has been cleared of gross misconduct after he removed the head covering of a Sikh man in custody.

The officer in the West Midlands force, who has not been named, was found by a police disciplinary hearing not to have breached professional standards.

The panel was convened after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) concluded there was a case to answer following its own investigation.

An independent panel considered the matter and ruled on Tuesday.

They had reviewed it against a range of criteria, including professional standards relating to equality and diversity.

The patka was removed at the Perry Barr custody suite in Birmingham in October 2021 and the man wearing it, who lodged the complaint, said he was left traumatised as a result.

At the time the complaint was made, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the site.

The complainant had described his experience as a "racial hate crime".

The IOPC said last August that issues to consider included the "decision to remove the man's head covering" and the extent to which any force was used in doing so.

Following this week's hearing, the watchdog said police found the officer not to have breached professional standards in the criteria of authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity and use of force.

IOPC regional director for the West Midlands, Derrick Campbell, said: "We carried out a thorough investigation and from the evidence gathered it was our opinion that for one officer there was a case to answer for gross misconduct."

The panel, he added, had found that case not proven after hearing the evidence.

After the ruling, West Midlands Police deputy chief constable Scott Green said the hearing had been held by an independent legally qualified chair.

"We do not underestimate the impact this incident had on the man as well as the Sikh community, both locally and further afield."

He added: "I would like to acknowledge the valuable support of our Sikh police officers who provided a perspective to this sensitive case."