A police sergeant has been dismissed without notice after a misconduct hearing found he had committed gross misconduct by assaulting a man in an off-duty incident.
PS James Harris, attached to the North West Command Unit, breached the standards of professional behaviour as set out in respect of discreditable conduct, after he headbutted a man at a wedding reception in Hitchin on 30 June 2018.
PS Harris was charged with one count of actual bodily harm following an investigation by Herts Police. However, the prosecution case was withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution Service.
A misconduct hearing held on 11 May, led by an Independent Legally Qualified Chair, found the allegations proven at the level of gross misconduct and dismissed PS Harris without notice. He will now be placed on the College of Policing (CoP) Barred List.
Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles, in charge of policing in North West Command Unit, said: “Police officers have to maintain the highest standards of behaviour on, and off, duty and headbutting someone is completely unacceptable.
“We need police officers who are calm and composed and help to de-escalate situations. It is clear that PS Harris lost control of himself on this occasion and has now paid the price of losing his job as a police officer.”
