Serving police officer given final written warning - London

A British Transport Police Sergeant has been given a final written warning following a public misconduct hearing held last week.

Sergeant James Chu, based in London, attended a misconduct hearing in the PSD Rooms at Toft Green, York between 23 and 25 August 2021.

He answered allegations that he breached the standards of professional behaviour, namely Equality and Diversity, Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Honesty and Integrity, and Discreditable Conduct.

While on police premises, PS Chu made comments regarding other officer’s religion and sexuality which were deemed to be inappropriate and offensive.

The allegations relating to these comments were found proven by the panel and as such amounted to gross misconduct. They concluded that he breached the standards of professional behaviour in Equality & Diversity, Authority, Respect & Courtesy and Discreditable Conduct.

The allegation of Honesty & Integrity was not proven.

PS Chu was issued with a final written warning which will run for three years.

Head of BTP’s Professional Standards Department, Detective Superintendent Pete Fulton said: “

Detective Superintendent Pete Fulton said: “We are absolutely committed to ensuring a respectful culture throughout the force, and we expect our officers and especially supervisors to conduct themselves appropriately not just to the people they serve, but among each other.

"Final written warnings are a significant outcome as this effectively means an officer is unable to seek promotion for the entire period, and any further conduct in that time period can have long reaching consequences. A three year final written warning is the longest a panel has awarded in BTP, so this is a significant positive outcome.”