British Sikh ex-police officer sentenced for slapping 12-year-old schoolboy

London: A British Sikh woman police officer has been sentenced to a 12-month community order after pleading guilty to assault for slapping a 12-year-old schoolboy in the face during an altercation while she was off duty in Birmingham last year.

Sharanjit Kaur, who resigned as West Midlands Police constable (PC) last month, was charged following an investigation by the UK’s Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Last week, the 41-year-old appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court and was handed a 12-month community order for assault by beating after changing her plea to guilty.

She had initially denied the offence at a previous hearing, the IOPC said.

“Police officers may only use force when it is necessary, proportionate, and reasonable in the circumstances. There was no policing purpose or any other justification for the officer to strike the boy, who posed no genuine risk to her,” said IOPC Regional Director Derrick Campbell.

“The victim’s age and vulnerability were clearly aggravating factors and then PC Kaur’s actions had the capacity to undermine public confidence in policing. She has quite rightly been held accountable,” he said.

According to details of the IOPC investigation, mobile footage of the incident which took place on October 13 last year was circulated widely via social media, which led to a conduct referral from West Midlands Police.

A complaint was also made by the family of the boy who was struck.

Magistrates were told that Kaur intervened during an altercation involving schoolboys in the Great King Street North area of the city in October 2022.

Evidence gathered by IOPC investigators indicated that Kaur, who was based at Newtown, pushed a boy away from the group, shouted at him, “Who the hell are you?” and then hit him in the face while holding a set of car keys.

The strike caused a cut to the boy’s cheek. When challenged by an onlooker, she identified herself as a police officer.

Once the criminal case concluded, the police force proceeded with its misconduct hearing for Kaur after the IOPC investigation found she had a case to answer for gross misconduct concerning the force she used and other potential breaches of police standards for professional behaviour.

During the investigation, IOPC investigators interviewed the officer under criminal and misconduct caution. Mobile footage was reviewed and statements were taken from independent witnesses. After the investigation in March, the file of evidence was passed to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charge.

At a hearing organised by West Midlands Police last Thursday, gross misconduct was proven against the former police officer for breaching police professional standards of behaviour relating to discreditable conduct.

It was determined that had she still been serving as a police constable she would have been dismissed.

Kaur will also be added to the College of Policing barred list, preventing future employment with the UK police service.