A former officer who made a discriminatory remark about a member of the public while attending a serious incident would have faced dismissal had he not resigned.
Former PC William MacKay made the comment while at the incident in Luton on 11 June 11, 2022. While the member of the public did not hear the remark, it was later discovered having been recorded on a colleague’s body worn video camera.
At an Accelerated Case Hearing at Kempston HQ on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst found the comment to be a breach of the Professional Standards of Behaviour for Equality and Diversity and Discreditable Conduct and amounted to gross misconduct.
He said: “I have made it clear to both my workforce and our communities that we are an anti-racist force. We are working tirelessly to maintain and build trust and confidence of those communities that have traditionally trusted policing the least.
“I accept this was a one-off incident by the officer who in his time with us had a good record. However, during that time he would have been under no doubt that that there is no place in this organisation for this type of statement.”
Mr Rodenhurst concluded that if the officer had still been employed he would have been dismissed without notice. He will be placed on the College of Policing barred list.
