A Nigerian-British police officer in the UK, Shola Balogun, has been dismissed for allegedly biting a colleague during a birthday party. The incident happened on April 22, 2022, at Goals Sports Bar in Bexleyheath, Kent, where around 70 guests had gathered to celebrate a 40th birthday.
Balogun, an officer at Bromley Police Station, reportedly got into an argument with a colleague. Witnesses say he grabbed the colleague’s glasses and, after a heated exchange, allegedly bit him on the face. Although Balogun denied biting his colleague and said the glasses incident was an accident, a medical report confirmed a bite wound on the victim.
The formal hearing, which took place from October 21 to 23, 2024, was led by senior officer Christopher McKay, with panel members IPM Amanda Harvey and Detective Superintendent Kirsty Mead. The panel found Balogun’s actions in violation of police conduct rules, specifically the Discreditable Conduct section of the College of Policing Code of Ethics, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining public confidence. Despite positive references from colleagues, including his inspector, Balogun’s past disciplinary record and the seriousness of the incident led to his immediate dismissal.
Balogun’s dismissal serves as a reminder of the high standards expected of police officers and the consequences of breaching conduct rules.
The panel noted that “the only appropriate and proportionate outcome in this case is Dismissal Without Notice.
“The Panel bears in mind the words of Lord Justice Maurice Kay in the well-known case of Salter v Chief Constable of Dorset [2012] EWCA Civ 1047 when he said, ”As to personal mitigation, just as an unexpectedly errant solicitor can usually refer to an unblemished past and the esteem of his colleagues, so will a police officer often be able so to do.
“However, because of the importance of public confidence, the potential of such mitigation is necessarily limited.
“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.”
