UK Policeman Convicted of Gross Misconduct for Mimicking Caller’s Indian Accent

A UK policeman, Police Constable Patrick Harrison, has been convicted of gross misconduct for mimicking the Indian accent of a woman who reported a hate crime in November 2022. The West Yorkshire Police officer resigned before the misconduct panel’s judgment, which deemed his actions discriminatory and stated that they “dehumanized” the caller.

The panel heard that Harrison, unaware the caller was still on the line, imitated phrases the woman had used. The victim reported the incident to Tell MAMA, an Islamophobia monitoring group. Harrison admitted to his “unacceptable and inexcusable” behavior, acknowledging a breach of professional conduct standards. Panel chair Katherine Wood noted that if not for his resignation, Harrison would have been dismissed for “deliberate, conscious discrimination.”

The officer’s actions caused psychological distress and a loss of trust in the police for the victim. Wood emphasized the severity of the behavior, deeming it gross misconduct.