British woman cop sacked for ''racist'' slurs against Spice of Punjab staff

London, July 1

A British woman police officer has been sacked for allegedly hurling racist slurs against the staff of an Indian restaurant in UK, according to media reports.

Katie Barratt, 22, of Northumbria Police, used “derogatory” terms against the staff of the ‘Spice of Punjab’ food outlet in Newcastle on December 14 last year, The Independent reported.

Barratt allegedly made the remarks to her colleagues while she was drunk, but was not heard by the workers. An investigation was launched after senior officers were informed about what she had said in an inebriated state, the BBC reported.

She has admitted that she was drunk but denied the accusations of using racist language. She was sacked following a misconduct hearing by a disciplinary panel on Wednesday.

The language used by Barratt is wholly “unacceptable”, said Detective Superintendent Sav Patsalos, head of Northumbria Police’s professional standards department.

“I want to make it absolutely clear that there is no place for this type of language or any other form of racist behaviour within Northumbria Police,” Patsalos said.

“We expect officers and staff to maintain the highest levels of professionalism at all times and as such they must not compromise or damage our strong relationships with the communities we serve,” he added.  — PTI