Special police constable took pepper spray home

A special constable has been barred from policing after he took home an incapacitant spray - classified as a firearm - after his shift.

Rachid Sghiar, who had volunteered with Nottinghamshire Police since May 2022, was found to have kept his PAVA spray, similar to pepper spray, at his home address, the force said.

It added that because PAVA was classified as a firearm under the Firearms Act, it needed to be locked away in an approved locker by an officer when not on duty.

At an accelerated gross misconduct hearing on Wednesday, it was ruled Mr Sghiar breached standards of police behaviour in relation to honesty and integrity, and discreditable conduct, and he was placed on the barred list.

It was also ruled that the volunteer officer would have been dismissed from the force if he had not already resigned.

Special constables have the same power, uniform and responsibilities as paid police officers but volunteer on a part-time basis.

The misconduct panel also heard that after the special constable was suspended from the force and asked to surrender his warrant card, he hid it and claimed it was 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 force said the incidents that led to the hearing took place between January and June this year.

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."

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