Special constable who took PAVA spray home placed on barred list

A special constable who took his PAVA spray home after a shift would have been dismissed had he not already resigned.

That was the ruling of an accelerated misconduct hearing into the conduct of a former officer, who was also placed on the police barred list.

Rachid Sghiar, who had been with Nottinghamshire Police since May 2022, was found to have kept his PAVA incapacitant spray at his home address, which is contrary to force policy.

He also made false or misleading accounts when asked after his suspension from the force to surrender his warrant card, claiming it had been lost.

It was later found that the warrant card was at his home address and he had tried to hide it from officers that attempted to retrieve it.

The incidents happened between January and June this year.

PAVA is classified as a firearm under the Firearms Act and needs to be locked away in an approved locker by an officer when not on duty.

The accelerated gross misconduct hearing, which was open for both the press and the public to attend, took place on Wednesday 18 December at Force HQ.

It was found the special constable had breached the following standards of behaviour - honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct.

He was dismissed from the force and placed on the barred list.

Deputy Chief Constable Steve Cooper said:

“This special constable’s conduct resulted in PAVA spray being held in an unsecure location at his home. 

“The policy is very clear, and his actions are likely to seriously undermine public confidence in the police service.

“His conduct was also fundamentally dishonest when he was asked to return his warrant card.

"All officers must display the highest standards of behaviour to ensure the public have complete trust and confidence in them, and this applies to special constables too.

“Had he not already resigned from his position, his actions would’ve resulted in him being dismissed, while he has also now been placed on the barred list.”