Police officer made racist comments, panel says

A former police officer made racist comments to colleagues on multiple occasions, a misconduct panel found.

PC Oliver Gobey would have been sacked had he not resigned as a Hertfordshire Police officer on the morning of the misconduct hearing, the panel concluded.

The panel was told, that on 2 July 2023, he directed a "racially motivated" comment at a police sergeant to suggest they had been recruited after 9/11 because they were Asian.

Mr Gobey denied making the racist comments, but the panel concluded on the balance of probabilities, that both incidents had taken place.

After that first incident, Mr Gobey was immediately challenged by PC Wallace, an experienced officer who had been a tutor constable for 20 years.

Days later, on 8 July 2023, Mr Gobey was in a police vehicle in Hitchin town centre with three colleagues.

A man described as being Asian, and his friends, approached the officers and spoke to PC Wallace. The man said that he was from Birmingham and asked for recommendations on places to visit.

After the man had walked away, Mr Gobey allegedly said: "Or you have come down here to escape the honour-based violence you have caused."

Mr Gobey was again challenged by PC Wallace, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Assistant Chief Constable Nicholas Davison, who chaired the panel, said: "They were discriminatory comments and they were his own.

"They were unprovoked. No-one encouraged him.

"Any indication of a racist and discriminatory attitudes in an officer's behaviour is always harmful to public confidence."

The panel also concluded that Mr Gobey "chose to lie" about a business interest in July 2023.

He repeatedly failed to submit a proper application to continue part-time work for a private ambulance service and voluntary work for St John Ambulance, but continued with the latter regardless.

When a senior officer asked if he had submitted a business interest form, he told her that he had, which was untrue.

The panel met in April this year, and found all the allegations against Mr Gobey to be proven on the balance of probabilities, and concluded that they amounted to "serious gross misconduct".

The decision was published last week.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.