A serving officer from the Metropolitan Police’s South West Borough Command Unit (BCU) has been dismissed from the force after he was found to have committed gross misconduct by an internal investigation.

In a statement released late on Thursday (October 15), the Met said they had dismissed PC Farouk Abubakar “without notice” after proving allegations that he sent “sexualised” messages and a photograph to a woman who sought advice at Kingston Police station earlier this year.

The incident happened on June 21, when Abubakar was on duty with the Met’s SW BCU at Kingston Police station.

After a member of the public approached the station seeking advice, and later left the office, the Met said that Abubakar continued to communicate with her “from his own personal phone” including messages of a “sexualised” nature and a photograph.

The Met Police statement read:

“Police Constable Farouk Abubakar, attached to South West Command Unit, appeared at a misconduct hearing which concluded on Thursday, 15 October.

“He faced allegations that on 21 June 2017, whilst on duty in the front office of Kingston Police Station, PC Farouk Abubakar met a member of the public who attended seeking advice.

“After the member of the public left the front office, PC Abubakar continued to contact her from his own personal phone, sending sexualised messages and a photograph.”

 

At the misconduct hearing on Thursday, Abubakar faced allegations of breaching the Met’s Standards of Professional Behaviour regarding ‘honesty and integrity’, ‘equality and diversity’, ‘authority, respect and courtesy’, ‘orders and instructions’ and ‘discreditable conduct’.

The Chair of the hearing concluded that all of the above allegations, with the exception of the professional standard of equality and diversity, were proven at the level of “gross misconduct”.

Consequently, he was fired from the force “without notice” the Met confirmed on Thursday evening after the conclusion of the hearing.