Ex-special constable taken on by GMP as PC - despite being on barred list for 'unwise and indefensible' offence

A former special constable was taken on as a PC by Greater Manchester Police despite having a criminal conviction for driving a car with with 'covert blue lights'.

PC Kamran Hussain was suspended from the force in August last year when, after a 'routine GMP vetting review', it was discovered his name was on the College of Policing's 'barred list'.

It came after a court earlier heard that 'in the course of his utilising these irregular lights, he caused a person to stop and created the impression that this was a legitimate police interaction'.

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GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson said his status on the list 'demanded an appropriate declaration, which was not forthcoming'. Chief Constable Watson, in a published ruling after a misconduct hearing, said: "At a time of heightened public concern surrounding the professional conduct of police officers, this matter falls squarely into the context of things likely to further diminish public confidence in policing."

He added that in the case, 'acts of omission carry the same weight as acts of commission', adding: "The officer understood precisely what was required of him and he chose not to act."

Hussain resigned as a special constable with West Yorkshire Police, but would have been sacked if he hadn't, a hearing in January 2020 chaired by the force's Chief Constable was told. It's understood he resigned on September 20, 2019.

The ruling said in September, 2019, at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court, he pleaded guilty to 'offences relating to the driving of a private vehicle with covert blue lights fitted'.

"In the course of his utilising these irregular lights, he caused a person