A police sergeant who was banned from attending football matches for “tragedy chanting” has been sacked from his job. Tyler Coppin, 29, from Colchester, has been found guilty of committing gross misconduct at an Essex Police misconduct hearing. This follows the incident at the Liverpool versus Chelsea football game at Anfield last October. Coppin was initially ejected from the stadium and later arrested. He pleaded guilty to one offense under the Public Order Act and was banned from attending football matches for three years. Additionally, he was ordered to pay fines and costs of £645. Coppin faced charges of tragedy chanting which is when fans chant, sing or gesture offensive messages about historical disasters or accidents related to a football club. Merseyside police investigated the incident after it was witnessed by stewards at the match.
Essex’s Chief Constable, Ben-Julian Harrington, said, “If officers are responsible for upholding the law, it cannot be right that they break it.” The misconduct hearing found that Coppin had breached standards of professional behaviour in relation to honesty and integrity, authority, respect and courtesy, and discreditable conduct. The Chief Constable acknowledged external factors including Coppin’s remorse and previous good record but concluded that his actions did not meet the high standards of the police service.
As a result, Coppin has been dismissed from the force without notice and will be placed on the College of Policing barred list. According to the chief constable, the appropriate outcome of the hearing was resolutions to seize computer equipment regarding witness interviews.
Coppin was said to be remorseful for his actions though they will seriously undermine public trust and confidence in his capacity to be a police officer. The police officer’s actions have received homage after being convicting of a public order offence. Mr. Harrington said behaviour such as this cannot and will not be tolerated in policing, as he extended a clear message to officers, staff, and the wider public
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