A Nigerian-British police officer, Shola Balogun, stationed at Bromley Police Station, has been dismissed from the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service after being accused of biting a fellow officer, whose identity was withheld, during a birthday celebration.
The incident reportedly took place at a party in Bexleyheath, Kent, which Balogun attended on April 22, 2022.
A disciplinary hearing, chaired by senior officer Christopher McKay with IPM Amanda Harvey and Assessor-Detective Superintendent Kirsty Mead on the panel, determined the outcome after sessions held from October 21-23, 2024.
The hearing notice, outlined the specifics of the event at Goals Sports Bar, where roughly 70 individuals, including members of the celebrant’s team from Bromley Police Station’s ERT C unit, gathered for a 40th birthday celebration.
Besides the celebrant, Balogun and the victim were the only two officers present.
According to the hearing document, Balogun and the other officer shared a friendly working relationship, with occasional “light-hearted horseplay” since they began working together in June 2018.
The document detailed that the victim arrived around 9 p.m. after meeting colleagues at a nearby pub, with Balogun arriving later, allegedly having consumed alcohol.
Events escalated around 11:30 p.m. when the victim recounted heading upstairs from the dancefloor and encountering Balogun.
He alleged that Balogun unexpectedly grabbed his glasses, dropping them on the floor, and subsequently pushed him in the throat area when he tried to approach him amicably.
After confronting Balogun about the push, the officer alleged that Balogun leaned in and bit him on the right side of his face.
Balogun disputed the account, maintaining that he accidentally knocked off the victim’s glasses and denying any pushing or biting.
However, medical assessments confirmed a bite mark on the victim, supporting his claim.
The official findings indicated that Balogun’s actions breached the standard of Discreditable Conduct as outlined in the College of Policing’s Code of Ethics.
The document emphasized that “Discreditable Conduct is explained in the College of Policing Code of Ethics as not behaving in a manner, whether on or off duty, which brings discredit to the police service or undermines public confidence in policing.”
It highlighted that officers are expected to uphold public confidence by maintaining high standards of conduct at all times. “The Panel is satisfied that PC Balogun breached this standard by biting the victim. Assaulting a fellow officer is clearly unacceptable and discreditable behaviour.”
Character witnesses, including Balogun’s line manager of nearly five years, spoke positively about his qualities as an officer, though the panel also reviewed his previous disciplinary history.
In reference to public confidence in policing, the panel quoted Lord Justice Maurice Kay from the case of Salter v Chief Constable of Dorset [2012] EWCA Civ 1047, acknowledging that while personal mitigation may occasionally offset past mistakes, its impact is often limited in maintaining public trust.
The panel ultimately concluded that Balogun’s past disciplinary record, combined with the deliberate nature of the assault, warranted dismissal without notice.
The hearing document affirmed, “In the present case, PC Balogun does not have an unblemished past and the previous misconduct proved against him is serious. In the present case, he committed a deliberate assault on a colleague without any explanation or justification. He humiliated PC Final Written Warning is not appropriate in this case. The only appropriate and proportionate outcome in this case is Dismissal Without Notice.”
