Ex-PC Caught Jetting Off on Holiday After Calling in Sick
A former Leicestershire Police officer who reported sick but jetted off on holiday the same day faces severe backlash. A disciplinary hearing ruled ex-PC Raja Khan would have been sacked if he was still on the force.
Gross Misconduct Uncovered in Police Probe
The investigation, led by Leicestershire Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), exposed Khan’s blatant dishonesty. The hearing took place on September 18, chaired by the force’s chief constable. Khan had already quit the force back in February.
Suspicion grew when Khan called in sick on October 5 — a rest day just before his next shift. However, evidence showed that evening he flew out to Istanbul, Turkey, for a holiday. Despite being contacted by his line manager on October 8, Khan insisted via text he was too unwell to work.
He was even given the out-of-hours number to report his sickness properly and sent instructions to complete a formal sickness form. But Khan got a third party to log onto his police laptop, submit the sickness form, and email his manager confirming everything was done.
Police Waiting as Khan Returns From Holiday
When Khan’s plane landed at Stansted Airport on October 11, police were waiting. He admitted he had just spent a week on holiday despite claiming to be ill.
The disciplinary panel found Khan guilty of breaching multiple police conduct standards, including honesty, integrity, confidentiality, following orders, and discreditable conduct.
IOPC Slams Blatant Misconduct
“PC Khan’s behaviour fell well below the standards expected of a police officer,” said IOPC Director of Operations Steve Noonan. “He was dishonest about his absence and allowed an unauthorized person to access his police laptop, failing to respect confidential information. Such conduct has no place in policing. He will now be barred from future police employment.”
On October 16, Khan was arrested and questioned under criminal caution. However, after the investigation, no criminal charges were filed against him.
