Nottinghamshire Police special constable who kept incapacitant at home and claimed to have ‘lost’ warrant card barred from policing after misconduct hearing

A volunteer police officer who kept his incapacitant spray at home after a shift has been barred from policing after a misconduct hearing.

The hearing also ruled former special constable Rachid Sghiar would have been dismissed from Nottinghamshire Police had he not already resigned.

The former officer, 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 the force’s policy.

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

Rachid Sghiar also made false or misleading accounts when asked, after his suspension from Nottinghamshire Police, to surrender his warrant card.

He claimed it had been lost, but it was later found that the warrant card was at his home address and he had tried to hide it from officers who attempted to retrieve it.

The incidents happened between January and June this year.

His accelerated gross misconduct hearing took place on Wednesday, December 18, at Nottinghamshire Police’s Arnold headquarters.

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

He was 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.”