Police chief sends 'sexist' UK agency staffer home

An agency staff member due to work at Guernsey Police was sent back to the UK the day they arrived after they showed "sexist and misogynistic tendencies", the force's chief officers says.

Chief Officer Damian Kitchen made the revelation while being asked about his position on police culture following the fallout surrounding the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.

The UK case has prompted a review of a 2022 anti-racism commitment made by UK forces, which Guernsey Police never signed up to.

Kitchen said he did not "feel the need" to sign up to the commitment, and that the problems could be fixed by recruiting staff with "the right values", and by leadership "setting the standard".

He said: "The basics of policing are quite simple.

"If you approach every incident with an open mind, treat everyone with respect, have integrity, are transparent, then I don't feel the need to sign up to a race action plan.

"The plan is you get the right recruits in with the right values, and you weed out the people who shouldn't be in your force.

"I had agency staff who turned up in the last year and within three hours they've shown sexist and misogynistic tendencies in their language.

"They've been on the boat home that night because I won't put up with it."

He added: "It's about leadership setting the standard, and having the right people with the right ethics working for Guernsey Police."

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