Officer sacked after collusion allegations discontinue criminal case

A police constable has been dismissed following accusations of collusion between two officers when preparing statements, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has confirmed. PC Abubakar Saddique, of West Yorkshire Police, was one of two officers who arrested a man on suspicion of theft in November 2015. He was later charged and put on trial in February 2016. However, Wakefield Magistrates’ Court dismissed the case against the man as allegations of collusion during court proceedings against the two officers emerged. This resulted in an adverse judicial finding being made against West Yorkshire Police, and a referral was then made to the IPCC. Witness statements from PC Saddique and the other officer were examined, as they were similar despite both officers claiming not to have seen each other’s accounts. A case to answer for gross misconduct was found for the two officers. In February this year, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service which found insufficient evidence to charge the officers with attempting to pervert the course of justice, perjury or misconduct in public office. West Yorkshire Police received the final IPCC report in September and the case to answer for gross misconduct for PC Saddique was found proven. He was dismissed without notice on Tuesday (December 5). The case against the other officer was not proven. IPCC Operations Manager Ian Tolan said: “This was a serious matter in which the police officers’ actions resulted in the dismissal of criminal court proceedings. “Our investigation looked carefully at the evidence the officers provided to the court and their testimony; finding little doubt that there was some level of collusion given the similarities in their statements, which included the same errors. “The officers have been held to account, as a result of our investigation, which highlights the importance of officers ensuring their statements meet the levels of honesty and integrity the public expects.”