Met Officer Sacked for Discrimination Against Detainee

UK IOPC News

Filed March 19th, 2026

Detected March 24th, 2026

Summary

The UK's Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced that a Metropolitan Police custody sergeant has been sacked for gross misconduct. The officer used excessive force and discriminatory language against a detainee, leading to his dismissal and placement on the policing barred list.

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What changed

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed the dismissal of Metropolitan Police Sergeant Navin Thammanna following a gross misconduct hearing. The hearing found that Sergeant Thammanna used unnecessary force and made derogatory, discriminatory comments towards a detainee, including stating the detainee "smelled like a junkie and shouldn’t be in this country." The incident occurred on January 25, 2025, and was reported by three of the officer's colleagues. The disciplinary panel found all allegations proven, leading to dismissal without notice and placement on the policing barred list.

This enforcement action highlights the critical importance of adhering to professional standards, particularly concerning authority, respect, courtesy, equality, diversity, and the appropriate use of force. While the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue criminal charges for assault, the internal disciplinary process resulted in severe consequences for the officer. The IOPC's investigation, which began in February 2025 and concluded with a file sent to the force in June 2025, underscores the accountability mechanisms within UK policing. Regulated entities, particularly those in law enforcement, should review their policies and training on use of force, anti-discrimination, and professional conduct to prevent similar breaches.

What to do next

Review policies on use of force and discriminatory language in custody settings.
Reinforce training on equality, diversity, and professional conduct for all officers.
Ensure robust internal reporting mechanisms for misconduct are maintained and utilized.

Penalties

Dismissed without notice and placed on the policing barred list.

Source document (simplified)

Met officer sacked for discriminating against suspect in custody

Published: 19 Mar 2026 News A Met Police custody sergeant has been sacked after he told a detainee he ‘smelled like a junkie and shouldn’t be in this country’, threatened him and then pushed him into a cupboard unit.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct investigated Police Sergeant (PS) Navin Thammanna’s use of force, as well as comments he made, after three of his colleagues raised their concerns with a supervisor, which led to the Met referring the incident to us.

PS Thammanna faced a gross misconduct hearing this week which heard he used unnecessary force on the man, as well as derogatory and discriminatory language.

This was in breach of the police standards of professional behaviour relating to authority, respect and courtesy; equality and diversity, discreditable conduct and use of force.

On Tuesday (17 March), the disciplinary panel, appointed by the force and chaired by Commander Katie Lilburn, found all allegations against the officer were proven and that he should be dismissed without notice. He will also be placed on the policing barred list.

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Police officers, and especially detention officers, carry a great deal of responsibility for often some of the most vulnerable members of society.

“PS Thammanna allowed himself to become agitated by the man who was undeniably being uncooperative. The officer was abusive, rude and used discriminatory language towards him.

“His use of discriminatory language was completely unacceptable, and he showed a complete lack of respect toward the man. It’s behaviour like this which damages the public’s trust and confidence in police officers.

“Police officers are permitted to use force in certain situations, however any force used must be reasonable and proportionate. The evidence clearly showed that PS Thammanna’s use of force was excessive and his actions were unacceptable.

“It was commendable that his colleagues raised this matter with their supervisor and gave evidence to support the case against PS Thammanna. This is a good example of the disciplinary process being effective in rooting out poor officer behaviour.”

Our investigation, which began in February 2025, found the man had been brought into Fresh Wharf Custody suite, Barking, east London, on 25 January 2025 after police responded to a report of two men fighting. The attending officers discovered he was subject to a deportation order and arrested him.

At the suite, custody sergeant PS Thammanna verbally abused the man, who was Asian, and made discriminatory comments.

The man, who was being rude and abusive to officers, was taken to the strip search room. Once in the room, his colleagues told our investigation that PS Thammanna threatened the man with force if he did not co-operate with officers and pushed him against the cupboard unit in the search room.

The next day, PS Thammanna bragged to a colleague about his use of force.

Three of his colleagues raised his behaviour with their supervisor, saying it was unprofessional and unacceptable.

On conclusion of our investigation, in June 2025, we concluded that the officer should face a gross misconduct hearing organised by the force.

As part of our investigation, we sent a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider a charge of assault by beating. In June 2025, the CPS decided not to issue a criminal charge.

Tags
- Metropolitan Police Service
- Discrimination
- Use of force and armed policing
- Custody and detention