​Met Police officer gained access to All Points East by pretending to be on duty, misconduct panel hears

A Metropolitan Police Officer has been forced to resign after he was found to have pretended to be on duty in order to get into 2021’s All Points East Festival with a friend.

The officer in question - former Met officer Hasnain Awan - allegedly told ticketing staff that he was due to perform police duties within the festival, and issued an a wristband as a result.

The Hackney Gazette reports that Awan attended a Police Misconduct Hearing on Monday (May 5) regarding the incident and was found to have committed gross misconduct.

The panel heard that both he and a friend, who was not a police officer, were given wristbands to enter despite Awan being off- duty — the officer had attended the festival on-duty the day prior (August 28, 2021) where he was given a wristband to enter and perform his usual duties.

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The following day, while off-duty, he told staff at the accreditation office that he needed a wristband to enter again.

The panel heard, that Awan had returned to the accreditation centre to explain that his wristband had been "stained with blood and seized as evidence" in order to receive a second wristband. The second wristband was given to his friend.

Both men entered the event, avoiding the £95 ticket price. Awan also allegedly entered the backstage area at the festival using his Met Police Service warrant card.

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Inspector May-Robinson, who was responsible for policing at the festival that year, questioned PC Awan about his actions, which he swiftly denied. He told the inspector that staff knew he was not on duty.

“By his own admission he lied on more than one occasion which the panel has found was for his own self-interest, that he knew exactly what he was doing and given this repeated behaviour is indicative of an attitudinal issue,” a misconduct panel said.

“He did not make open admissions at an early stage but rather initially sought to create yet another account and justification for his actions which, by his admissions and apologies, demonstrates that this too was a fabrication.”

PC Awan was said to have resigned on February 19, 2023, following ongoing investigations. The misconduct panel said he would have been fired if he had not resigned.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter