Nottinghamshire police sergeant sacked for using discriminatory language
A Nottinghamshire Police officer who told a detainee to ‘go home’ and ‘get on a boat and go back to where you come from’ has been dismissed at a misconduct hearing, following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
A gross misconduct hearing was held at force’s headquarters at Sherwood Lodge on September 2.
The officer, whose name has been anonymised on medical grounds, was working at Mansfield custody suite on November 19, 2025.
At approximately 9am, a man who has British citizenship and is of Iranian descent, was being transferred from the custody suite.
The hearing heard that the officer made comments that were discriminatory, offensive, and inappropriate.
These comments were captured on CCTV and reported by a concerned colleague.
On November 27, 2025, the matter was referred to the IOPC, and the investigation was declared independent.
The officer told the hearing that he regretted his choice of words, and they were not motivated by racial hatred.
The officer told the hearing he was responding to comments made by the man, who was being rude and abusive.
The IPOC reviewed CCTV footage from the custody suite, which captured the interaction at the custody desk, in which the detainee was heard to make disparaging comments about England as he delayed boarding the prison van.
CCTV then showed the experienced officer walk around the desk before grabbing the man’s jacket, moving him towards the exit and saying ‘get back on a boat and go back to where you come from’.
He accepted that his response was 'inappropriate' and the impact this would have on the reputation of Nottinghamshire Police.
The hearing found that the officer breached the following standards of professional behaviour – equality and diversity, authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct.
He was dismissed from the force and placed on the police barred list.
After careful consideration and specialist medical advice, It was decided the officer's name had been anonymised due to concerns for his welfare.
Chief Constable Steve Cooper, who chaired the gross misconduct hearing, said: "There is absolutely no place in Nottinghamshire Police for this type of language.
"Police officers should be treating all members of the public with respect and courtesy at all times and this officer failed in his duties on this occasion.
"His behaviour has the potential to discredit the police service and undermine the public's confidence in policing.
"That's why this incident, and any others like it, will be taken extremely seriously and robust action will be taken."
Emily Barry, IOPC director of engagement, added: “The CCTV we viewed showed that the detainee was argumentative and rude.
"After completing documentation at the custody desk, he did not proceed towards the prison van as instructed.
“Officers face challenging situations daily, but it is never appropriate to resort to racially discriminatory comments.
"As a police sergeant, he held a supervisory position and with that comes an elevated duty to exercise self-control and model appropriate behaviour.
“His comments were unacceptable plus they were made in the presence of a number of other people who could be expected to look to a police sergeant to lead by example.”