A veteran police officer with a previously unblemished record has been dismissed for making racist comments.
PC Mark Saville, who served for 27 years with Greater Manchester Police and was a tutor to other officers, was sacked for gross misconduct following a disciplinary hearing.
The officer, who was based at the City of Manchester division, is believed to have made the comments in a training session.
A senior officer said in his role he was meant to set an example to colleagues.
In a statement GMP read: "At a gross misconduct hearing held at GMP force headquarters on Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 April, 2019, PC Mark Saville was dismissed without notice for breach(s) of the standards of professional behaviour.
"The panel heard that, on May 4, 2018, PC Mark Saville made comments which were insulting, discriminatory and offensive and wholly inappropriate for a police officer to be making.
"These comments were expressed in front of other colleagues who then rightly challenged PC Saville and the matter was referred to the Professional Standards Branch for investigation.
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"The panel found that PC Saville’s Conduct amounted to Gross Misconduct in that the comments made where overtly racist and wholly unacceptable.
"PC Mark Saville was therefore dismissed without notice from Greater Manchester Police."
Detective Superintendent Michael Montford of GMP’s professional standards department said: “Mark Saville, up until this point in his career, had 27-years of unblemished public service. However, he chose to express views which were overtly racist and totally unacceptable.
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"It is even more disappointing that PC Saville was in a tutor role and had a particular duty of care to student officers and responsibility to set an example to colleagues.
"There is reassurance in that his colleagues who witnessed this behaviour were so shocked by his comments that they did the right thing by immediately challenging his behaviour and reporting their concerns.
"GMP will not tolerate such behaviours as we strive to be reflective of the diverse communities we serve in Greater Manchester and nothing in PC Saville’s unblemished service could mitigate for his actions that day."
No one was available to comment on the case from the Greater Manchester Police Federation.
