Former GMP officer breached Covid rules with pre-wedding party

A former Greater Manchester Police officer who broke Covid lockdown rules breached expected standards of behaviour and brought ‘discredit to the police service’.

A disciplinary hearing ruled that Manisa Matloob’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and she would have been dismissed had she not already resigned.

Miss Matloob, who resigned in February 2023 and did not attend the hearing, will also be added to the College of Policing Barred List.

The hearing at Force Headquarters on 18 May 2023 was told that Miss Matloob, who was a PC based in GMP’s Oldham district at the time of the breach, had ‘repeatedly lied to cover up her actions’.

Officers attended her home address in March 2021 following two calls from the public.

In subsequent verbal accounts and police interviews, Miss Matloob said the gathering had been for her wedding and that the event was mostly online.

Officers who attended the address found more than six people in the house in contravention of the Covid regulations in force at the time.

It later transpired it was a pre-wedding event and that Miss Matloob’s marriage had taken place three days later.

Setting out the case for GMP, Martin Forshaw said that by attending the gathering she ‘knew she would bring discredit upon herself and the police force’.

He added: “On four separate occasions, she provided false statements and acted dishonestly.

“Clearly, she knew by attending that she was bringing discredit to herself and the police service.”

In setting out the judgement, panel chairman Trevor Jones LQC said Miss Matloob’s behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and was not what ‘was expected from a serving police officer’.