UK Police Officer Given Final Warning After Appearing On Nigerian Big Brother

A UK police officer has received a final written warning after appearing on the Nigerian edition of Big Brother without the force’s permission. 

PC Khafilat Kareem was working as an officer for the Metropolitan Police when she applied to be on the famous reality TV show in 2019.

She bagged a spot in the Big Brother Naija house in Lagos and entered in June of the same year, where she lasted for 77 days before being evicted. 

Although Khafilat was granted unpaid leave, she was not given permission to be on the series as Chief Superintendent Jason Gwillim felt it could ‘bring the Met Police into disrepute’. 

Since then, a misconduct hearing has given the PC, attached to the Transformation Directorate, a final warning for going against bosses orders. 

The misconduct panel at the Empress Building in west London decided that Khafilat had breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to 'orders and instructions' and 'discreditable conduct'.

In a statement released yesterday (29 April), Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Day, Transformation Directorate, said: “Permission was refused for PC Kareem to appear on the Nigerian version of Big Brother as it was felt it was not in the best interest for either her or the Metropolitan Police Service to take part. 

“Despite this refusal, she went on the show anyway.

"A detailed investigation was carried out by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards which concluded PC Kareem should face gross misconduct proceedings.

“Being a police officer means you must abide by the standards of professional behaviour. PC Kareem’s behaviour clearly fell far short and she has been given a final written warning.”

The Met Police highlighted that Khafilat took her work laptop with her to the Big Brother house, which she surrendered to the show’s producers before entering.

According to the panel, this was a ‘breach of professional standards proven at the level of misconduct’. 

Chief Superintendent Gwillim previously explained why he decided against granting permission for the officer to appear on the programme. 

"The risk I felt that I was considering was that with PC Kareem, who was a police officer, there would be an expectation for her to act if something unlawful happened - arguments, tension or fighting,” he said, the BBC reported.

"I think she'd feel that pressure to intervene and if she didn't – would that perspective look of an officer not acting bring the service [Met Police] into disrepute.

"There is a tremendous amount of pressure with people in the spotlight – people want to win. I found the more people are outrageous the more they are likely to win.

"For me there was a significant chance of the force being brought into disrepute."