A former police constable would have been dismissed after he made persistent and inappropriate advances towards a victim of crime via text message.
A misconduct hearing found gross misconduct proven against PC Ashley Bashar, previously attached to North Area Command Unit.
Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline Haines, responsible for policing in North Area, said: “The actions of PC Bashar have undoubtedly fallen below the standards that are expected of any officers within the Met and I am appalled that he neglected his responsibilities to safeguard someone he had a duty to protect.
“I welcome the outcome of today’s hearing and recognise that officers such as PC Bashar have no place in the Met. His actions have completely undermined the majority of hard working, diligent and professional officers who serve the communities of London.
“As police officers we have a duty to provide the public with the best service possible and that standard cannot be met by anyone who abuses their position in the way PC Bashar did.”
On Thursday, 16 November an accelerated misconduct hearing was held which concluded PC Bashar breached police standards of professional behaviour in respect of discreditable conduct.
It was determined that PC Bashar would have been dismissed without notice had he still been serving. He will now be placed on the College of Policing barred list meaning he cannot serve as a police officer or in a number of other related roles in the future.
Following an allegation received by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards in November 2022, it was established that between April 2020 and November 2020, PC Bashar had made a number of inappropriate advances towards a victim of crime.
After receiving the complaint, an immediate referral was made to the IOPC which independently investigated. This uncovered that PC Bashar had sent numerous messages of an increasingly personal nature to a woman who had previously reported being a victim of domestic abuse. He had also provided the victim with his personal number and made her feel uncomfortable, often questioning when she would ignore his messages.
PC Bashar was also the subject of a previous IOPC investigation in 2018 relating to a similar allegation that he contacted a victim of crime using his personal phone. PC Bashar received further training as recommended by the IOPC.
He resigned from the Met in November 2022.
