A serving British Transport Police (BTP) officer has been dismissed from the force without notice following a public misconduct hearing.
PC Shasanga Rana, based in London, attended the hearing at PSD rooms in York between 27 and 29 March. He answered eight allegations that he breached the standards of professional behaviour, namely authority, respect and courtesy, and discreditable conduct.
All allegations were proven. These were that PC Rana:
- Touched another officer on three separate occasions without her consent – massaged her shoulders, stroked her arm and touched her leg;
- Made a comment about her weight;
- Sent a second officer inappropriate Instagram messages on two occasions, one of which he made reference to a sexual act.
The independent panel found that his actions amounted to gross misconduct, and he has been dismissed from the force with immediate effect.
The panel commented that the behaviour had the effect of violating the dignity of the two officers and constituted unwanted sexual advances, and they believed that PC Rana’s actions were deliberate and targeted.
Detective Superintendent Pete Fulton, head of BTP’s Professional Standards Department, said: “Shasanga Rana showed a very concerning pattern of behaviour that is fundamentally not aligned to our BTP values.
“He inappropriately touched an officer and sent disgusting messages of a sexual nature to another. Thankfully they came forward with compelling evidence and he was quite rightly dismissed from BTP.
“I fully support panel’s decision in this case, and I’m pleased Shasanga Rana is no longer part of our force.”
