Police officer accused of removing Sikh man’s patka faces gross misconduct allegations

A police sergeant is facing allegations of gross misconduct after a Perry Barr man complained his religious head covering was forcibly removed in a custody suite. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigated the actions of seven officers after a Sikh man claimed he was traumatised and disrespected after the incident on October 25, 2021.

The complainant labelled the treatment he received at the Perry Barr custody suite a “racial hate crime” and discrimination against his religion. He had been arrested after “minor traffic offences”. After his accusations, the police had apologised to the man. The incident had caused some unrest in the community.

Now, the IOPC investigation found a West Midlands police sergeant may have breached police standards, but CCTV footage suggested the head covering was not stamped on at any stage. The IOPC had previously said a video circulating about the incident on social media was false.

The police watchdog assessed body-worn video as well as CCTV footage from the custody suite and accounts from the complainant and officers in attendance. The investigation was ended in May 2022 and it was concluded by the IOPC the police sergeant’s alleged breaches of professional standards related to equality and diversity, authority, respect, courtesy, use of force in the police sergeant’s handling of the situation and his decision to remove the man’s head covering.

The officer will now face a misconduct panel, chaired by a legal qualified chair, who will determine whether the allegations are proven.

IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said: “This incident caused significant unrest within the local community at the time and false videos shared on social media did understandably cause some major concern. However, we established early on in our investigation, having viewed the custody suite CCTV, that the man’s head covering was not stamped on at any stage.

“We carried out a thorough investigation which looked into the actions of all officers involved and concluded that a police sergeant had a case to answer for gross misconduct. It will be a decision for a misconduct panel, chaired by a legal qualified chair, to determine whether the allegations are proven. We have advised the complainant of the investigation outcome and a misconduct hearing for the police sergeant will now be organised and carried out by West Midlands Police.”

The police watch dog added for the other six officers there was no case to answer for misconduct, but four of them would benefit from taking part in reflective practice to learn from the incident.

Previously, Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing for West Midlands Police Richard Baker issued a statement on Wednesday November 3, 2021.

said: “Today I met with the man to apologise to him for any distress he experienced as a result of this incident. We understand the religious significance of head coverings to the Sikh faith and we know reports of this incident have caused outrage and anger to the Sikh community and the wider public.

“I do not underestimate the impact this has had on the man as well as the Sikh community, both locally and further afield. This is absolutely not representative of West Midlands Police. We are committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect and we continue to strive for better relationships with the communities we serve. We are determined to hold to account any officer who does not adhere to the standards of professional behaviour.”

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