A police officer who posted ‘offensive and racist’ comments about Muslims on Facebook has been dismissed from Greater Manchester Police force.

During only the second hearing of its kind ever to be heard in public, the officer admitted gross misconduct by breaching professional standards for equality and diversity and discreditable conduct.

A panel chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett heard how an officer, who remained anonymous throughout the hearing, had posted Facebook comments which had ‘disgusted’ a colleague.

Officer A made a comment below a Daily Mail article about the number of Muslim and Christian children in Birmingham.

He said: “That’s because we have allowed them to settle into their own communities and they have no desire to mix, they would rather take over areas and breed like rabbits.

"If you look at the way they take over certain areas it’s not unlike what the Germans did in Europe, they get a stronghold and then go for broke. We have already had 2 Muslim-related beheadings in this country in a year.”

The comment has since been deleted.

GMP bosses said the outburst came at a time when the force is ‘at the heart of tackling hate crime and defying racism’ and dismissed Officer A immediately.

ACC Wiggett said the panel noted Officer A’s remorse and good service record - which included several commendations - and accepted the comments were made off-duty on a private Facebook account. But he said the officer should have been aware of the sensitive nature of race as a debate and of GMP’s work to tackle racism.

He said the ‘very concerning’ comments ‘seriously undermined’ confidence in Officer A amongst the public and his GMP colleagues.

He said: “It’s clear to us the message was both offensive and racist in nature.”

Mark Alberry, defending Officer A, admitted the comments made online last September were ‘clumsy and crass’. But he said the officer had been making a point that ‘segregation is not a good idea’. He said Officer A held a number of manual labour jobs before his 14-year career at GMP and was not well educated.

He insisted: “He is not a racist individual who has entrenched views.”

The panel heard character references from colleagues who described Officer A as ‘professional and enthusiastic’ with a good understanding of diversity and equality issues.

One gay colleague said he was ‘one of the most open minded people on the division’, while a Muslim colleague said he was ‘considerate’.

Mr Alberry said Officer A was mourning the death of a close friend and was depressed when he made the comments.

But GMP barrister Jennie Ferrario said the force could not simply regard the comments as ‘clumsy and crass’. She said his continued employment would ‘make a mockery’ of GMP and added: “The authority has lost all confidence in Officer A and asks for him to be dismissed.”

Police bosses say opening up police misconduct hearings to the public will increase transparency within Greater Manchester Constabulary.

Police chief defends decision to keep identity of officer secret as GMP throws open doors to misconduct hearings

ACC Ian Wiggett spoke to the M.E.N. following the first GMP misconduct hearing ever to be heard in public.

The force is the second in the country to throw open its doors to the public for the hearings, after Thames Valley Police.

ACC Wiggett said he hopes the public access will help to increase transparency and inspire public confidence in the force.

He said: “In the past we’ve not had anything to hide. The panel reports were published internally and we never used to name the officer and we would only talk about the misconduct.

“It is good that the public can see how the hearings will take place now. It really helps with transparency.

“But we need to also make sure the officer can have a fair hearing and you’re not under public pressure. They need to still be fair and correct.”

ACC Wiggett anticipates that space in the public gallery could become scarce depending on the case.

He said: “In some hearings we will have victims and family members interested. In some cases a misconduct hearing will have a very high public interest.

“You don’t want it to be a show trial, we’ve got to look after the officer.

“These hearings have got really major implications. They are never easy to do.”

ACC Wiggett decided the officer facing the allegations would be anonymous throughout the hearing. But he stressed that anonymity will rarely apply in future hearings.

He said: “This was quite specific for this case. A one-off heat-of-the moment action means we now have an officer half-way through his service dismissed. That will stay with him for the rest of his life.

“We need to have a diverse workforce policing a diverse community. We need a force that has the respect and trust of the community. This is about basic respect. That’s what we ask all our officers to do and the vast majority do.”