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Officer sacked for lying to get backstage at APE

A Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked after admitting lying to gain free entry and backstage access to All Points East (APE) festival in London.

PC Hasnain Awan worked a shift at the AEG-promoted festival on 28 August 2021 and returned the following day while off-duty, when he gained entry to APE for himself and a friend without paying the entrance fee.

A misconduct panel heard that Awan deceived staff at the festival accreditation desk by saying he required a new wristband as his own had been “seized as evidence after getting stained with blood”.

“Former PC Awan omitted to tell the staff that he was not working as a police officer and he was therefore given a second wristband,” the panel was told. “Former PC Awan then gave his friend the second wristband and both then entered the festival without paying the £95 per person entrance fee.

“Later the same day… Awan then sought to gain entry to a restricted, backstage area using his Metropolitan Police Service warrant card. There was no proper policing purpose for his showing his warrant card.”

Awan then attempted to put himself on duty by then contacting a colleague and asking to change shifts.

The panel found that the allegation was proven at the level of gross misconduct

“When Inspector May-Robinson, who was responsible for policing at the festival, was informed of former PC Awan’s actions and spoke with him, former PC Awan sought to mislead Inspector May-Robinson by saying that he had informed the festival staff that he was not on duty that day,” the panel heard.

“He also sought to mislead Inspector May-Robinson by suggesting that festival staff had been prepared to allow his friend free entry into the festival albeit they were aware that his friend was neither a police officer nor contractor.”

Awan resigned from the police on 19 February this year. However, the panel found that the allegation was proven at the level of gross misconduct, therefore Awan would have been dismissed without notice had he still been serving.

“Former PC Awan deliberately chose to repeatedly lie first to festival staff, by fabricating an account that something had happened to his wrist band which was untrue, then by seeking to use his warrant card to gain access to a restricted area, then by seeking to ‘cover up’ his inappropriate actions by putting himself on duty by swapping shifts with a colleague, then by lying to a senior officer Inspector May-Robinson about how he came to be in possession of a second wristband and how he and his friend had come to be in the festival without purchasing tickets,” concluded the panel.

Acts who performed at APE on 29 August 2021 included Bicep, Floating Points, Hot Chip and The Blessed Madonna.

 


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