In a development that’s shaken the Metropolitan Police and reignited debate about law enforcement culture in the UK, four officers from Charing Cross police station have been dismissed for gross misconduct after being exposed in a BBC Panorama investigation. The dismissals, which took place on October 23 and 24, 2025, follow the airing of undercover footage that captured officers boasting about the use of force, making misogynistic, racist, and Islamophobic remarks, and mocking victims of crime. The revelations have prompted a wider review of police detention units and drawn sharp criticism of both the officers involved and the BBC’s handling of the evidence.
The most recent officer to be dismissed, PC Jason Sinclair-Birt, was fired without notice on October 24 after an accelerated misconduct hearing found he had given a “false account” of an incident to an undercover reporter, reveling in what he described as excessive use of force against a detainee. According to the BBC, Sinclair-Birt was secretly filmed describing how he “whacked the back of [a detainee’s] legs trying to get him to drop to the floor,” and admitted there was “definitely a little bit of red mist there.” The officer was seen smiling as he recounted the story, a detail the Metropolitan Police said indicated a “troubling lack of remorse or concern for a member of the public.”
However, body-worn footage from the July 2022 stop and search incident in question showed that Sinclair-Birt had not used his baton and that the force he applied was deemed “lawful and proportionate.” During the hearing, Sinclair-Birt defended himself, stating that his comments to the undercover reporter were “empty words and not a true account of the underlying incident.” He claimed he was “embellishing the account of an actual stop and search” for comedic effect, citing the use of “dark humour as a coping strategy.” But Chair Commander Jason Prins, who led the misconduct panel, was unconvinced, saying, “The officer has chosen to share a false account which revelled in the use of force. In my view the false account was meant to be taken at face value.”
The day before Sinclair-Birt’s dismissal, three other officers—Sergeant Joseph McIlvenny, PC Martin Borg, and PC Phillip Neilson—were dismissed without notice after expedited misconduct hearings. All three denied allegations of gross misconduct but admitted to making the comments aired in the Panorama programme. Their conduct, which breached standards of authority, respect, courtesy, equality, and general behaviour expected of police officers, was described as a “disgrace” by Chair Commander Prins. The officers were also placed on the College of Policing’s Barred List, permanently preventing them from rejoining any UK police service or related agency.
The BBC Panorama episode, which aired on October 1, 2025, was the catalyst for the misconduct process. According to BBC reporting, the undercover footage showed officers at Charing Cross threatening to shoot immigrants, dismissing claims of rape, mocking a rape victim’s account, and using or boasting about excessive force on detainees. PC Borg was shown making Islamophobic and crude remarks about detainees, bragging about joining the police to “nick people and get into scraps,” and laughing about an officer injuring a detainee through excessive force. PC Neilson was heard making racist and discriminatory comments about various ethnic groups, even bragging about deliberately trying to harm a young detainee “who deserved it.” Sgt McIlvenny, meanwhile, was captured instructing colleagues not to discuss use of force near cameras and making misogynistic and offensive comments about a female detainee.
While some allegations against PC Borg were not proven, the bulk of the charges against all three officers were upheld. In the words of Commander Simon Messinger, from the Met’s Professionalism Directorate, “Following the shocking and appalling behaviour shown on Panorama, we acted immediately where the evidence was indisputable. Three officers have rightly been dismissed for their disgraceful conduct. We remain unrelenting in our commitment to raise and maintain the highest standards across the Met.” Messinger also revealed that the entire custody team at Charing Cross had been replaced, local leadership overhauled, and a broader review launched to root out similar problems in other detention units.
The fallout from the Panorama investigation continues to spread. In total, ten former and current officers from Charing Cross are facing accelerated misconduct hearings as a result of the footage. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is also continuing its own investigation, with five more serving officers and one former officer scheduled to face hearings on October 24 and 28, 2025. Friday’s scheduled hearing for Sgt Clayton Robinson has been postponed to October 28, and three others have been adjourned to later dates.
Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley expressed gratitude for the BBC’s investigation but was sharply critical of the broadcaster for delays in disclosing unaired footage. According to Sir Mark, the BBC’s decision to withhold some material led to adjournment applications and “unnecessary complications” in the misconduct process. “It is extremely frustrating that these delays have caused complications,” he said, underscoring the need for swift and transparent cooperation in cases of alleged police misconduct.
The hearings themselves have been marked by officers seeking to explain their conduct as banter, bravado, or dark humour. Sinclair-Birt, for instance, insisted that his description of hitting a detainee “five or six times” was exaggerated for effect and not meant to be taken literally. He told the misconduct panel, “These were empty words and not a true account,” and maintained that he did not intend the conversation to be interpreted at face value. But the panel, after reviewing both the undercover and body-worn footage, found the account credible enough to undermine public trust in the police, especially given the gravity of the comments and the apparent lack of remorse.
As the Metropolitan Police attempts to rebuild public confidence, the broader implications of the Panorama revelations remain a subject of national debate. The case has prompted calls for greater transparency, stricter oversight, and a renewed focus on the culture within police custody units. For many, the dismissals are seen as a necessary first step, but not the end of the story. With further hearings scheduled and the IOPC’s investigation ongoing, the spotlight on Charing Cross—and the Met as a whole—shows no sign of dimming.
For now, the message from Scotland Yard’s leadership is clear: there will be zero tolerance for officers who betray the trust placed in them by the public. As the misconduct panels have shown, actions—and even words—matter, especially when they reveal attitudes fundamentally at odds with the values of modern policing.
