Met Police officer who pretended to be on duty to get backstage access at festival sacked for gross misconduct
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A Met Police officer who pretended to be on duty to get backstage access to a music festival has been booted out of the force. PC Hasnain Awan worked a shift for the force at All Points East Festival in Victoria Park, east London two years ago, but tried to come back the next day when he was off duty.
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Awan was first given a wristband to enter the site on August 28, 2021 as part of his shift working during the second day of the event. But even though he was off duty the following day, he still went back with a friend who was not a police officer using the same wristband.
Instead of entering through the public gates, he went to the festival accreditation desk and lied to staff that he needed a new wristband, claiming his own had been seized as evidence after getting stained with blood.
He then gave the new wristband to his friend and entered using the wristband he had used the day before, meaning they both entered the festival without paying the £95 entrance fee.
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They also tried to sneak backstage where performers and attending celebrities gathered.
At 2pm the same day, he then tried to gain entry to a backstage area of the festival by showing his warrant card. Inspector May-Robinson, who was responsible for policing at the festival, found out about his activities and questioned him.
PC Awan then tried to mislead Inspector May-Robinson by saying that festival staff knew he was not on shift. He later admitted fully to the deception and resigned on February 19 this year. At a police misconduct hearing on May 5, Awan was found to have committed gross misconduct and sacked.
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Leslie Cuthbert, chairing the panel, said in their judgement: “By his own admission he lied on more than one occasion which the panel has found was for his own self-interest, that he knew exactly what he was doing and given this repeated behaviour is indicative of an attitudinal issue.
“He did not make open admissions at an early stage but rather initially sought to create yet another account and justification for his actions which, by his admissions and apologies, demonstrates that this too was a fabrication.”
The panel were also told that "during his duty that day he did not engage in any activity that led to blood getting on to his wrist band".
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The hearing heard he accepted his actions were breaches of the standards of honesty and integrity that amounted to gross misconduct. Awan would have been fired if he had not already resigned and his name would be placed on the Police Barred List, the panel said.
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