UK Police Officer Sacked for Using Racist Slurs Against Staff of Indian Restaurant

A police officer was dismissed from her job in the United Kingdom for hurling racist abuses at the staff of an Indian restaurant in Newcastle. PC Katie Barratt, of Northumbria Police, used derogatory terms about the staff of the Spice of Punjab takeaway food outlet last year, a disciplinary panel ruled on June 27.

The incident took place on Dec. 14, 2017, while Barratt was drunk and waiting for a pizza. She made the comments to her colleagues and was not heard by the staff, metro.co.uk reported. A misconduct hearing was launched against her at Houghton police station in Tyne and Wear after superior officers were informed about her behavior.

“We have concluded that on the balance of probability your conduct amounts to gross misconduct as your behavior on December 14, 2017, fell far below the standard of professional behavior and is so serious that dismissal without notice would be justified,” Rachel Mangenie, who headed the panel, said, according to Dailymail.co.uk.

“The language used by PC Katie Barratt is wholly unacceptable,” Detective Superintendent Sav Patsalos, the head of Northumbria Police’s professional standards department, was quoted as saying. “I want to make it absolutely clear that there is no place for this type of language or any other form of racist behavior within Northumbria Police,” he said, adding, “This was recognized by a colleague who rightly came forward to report the comments, reflecting the culture within the force where people have the confidence to speak up and challenge unacceptable behavior.”

Patsalos added: “We expect officers and staff to maintain the highest levels of professionalism at all times and as such they must not compromise or damage our strong relationships with the communities we serve.

“I want to assure the public that we are committed to taking positive action in those instances where individuals fall below the expected standards of behavior.”

Barratt was said to have used the terms “f***ing n****r” and “f***ing p**i” about the staff of the takeaway. She, however, denied this. The panel also heard that she used the word “p**i” up to six times, an allegation that Barratt accepted in part, saying she had used the word twice, the publication reported.

The 22-year-old police officer denied allegations made by two other officers, who testified against her, that she also used other offensive racist slurs, Dailymail.co.uk reported.

PC Corey Bradley and PC Alex Downs, who were accompanying Barratt during the Christmas night out, told the hearing that she was so drunk that she was unable to walk properly and was slurring her words, the report said. Though Barratt admitted that she was intoxicated, she denied that she was “out of control,” the report added.