Officer sacked for pursuing relationship with victim

A police officer has been sacked after he pursued an inappropriate relationship with a domestic abuse victim.

Kashif Saghir, 23, met the woman in the course of his duties as a response officer in Derby in September 2024, and gave her his personal phone number, Derbyshire Police said.

After he returned to her house on more than one occasion, the force said the woman became "increasingly concerned" about his behaviour and reported him to police.

Derbyshire Police said the officer was suspended following the initial report and on Tuesday, at an accelerated police misconduct hearing, David Sandall, Chief Constable of Leicestershire Police, concluded the officer should be dismissed without notice.

Following a trial at Leicester Crown Court, Saghir, from Nottingham, was found guilty of misconduct in public office and given a nine-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, on 22 May.

He was ordered to pay costs of £2,000 and a victim surcharge of £187.

Police said he was arrested in October 2024 following an investigation by Derbyshire Constabulary's professional standards department and charged in late 2025.

After giving the woman his personal phone number, the following week he visited her house with a cake for her daughter's birthday, the force said.

When the woman said that her daughter needed to go to bed, police said Saghir followed her upstairs into her child's bedroom, where he cuddled the girl and kissed her on her head while reading her a bedtime story.

The force said two days later, Saghir turned up at her house again and stayed late into the evening.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the College of Policing states officers are "strictly prohibited" from forming relationships with vulnerable members of the public who they meet in the course of their duties.

A report published by Derbyshire Police said Saghir admitted to the woman in text messages that "he could lose his job on account of the relationship".

It stated there was "no evidence of sexual impropriety occurring", and added the officer's remorse was "clearly genuine".

Michelle Shooter, Temporary Deputy Chief Constable of Derbyshire Police, said: "Police officers and staff are expected, at all times, to protect our communities – in particular vulnerable victims of crime.

"Kashif Saghir broke that trust and pursued a relationship that he knew to be not only improper, but illegal.

"It is essential that our communities know our officers and staff will always work with the utmost integrity and, as a force, we will not stand for those who behave in this manner.

"Saghir was immediately suspended from duty following the initial report and, following him being found guilty and sentenced, has now been dismissed without notice following an accelerated misconduct hearing."

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