The Edinburgh Employment Tribunal is hearing the case of Steven Jones who filed a sex discrimination claim against the force.Steven Jones was in a TikTok video with singer Tallia Storm.

A former Police Scotland firearms officer was bumped from the unit due to “poor judgement” and “indefensible” conduct during an incident, his ex-boss has told a hearing.

The Edinburgh Employment Tribunal is hearing the case of Steven Jones who filed a sex discrimination claim against the force. The 35-year-old alleged his behaviour was branded “misogynistic” due to a fear among management that the armed response unit is perceived as having a “boys’ club mentality”.

Mr Jones was removed after he parked his police vehicle on Edinburgh’s Cowgate, while assigned to patrol Scottish Parliament, to photograph his colleague alongside singer Tallia Storm. The court heard on Wednesday from former assistant chief constable (ACC) Gary Ritchie, 53, who made the decision to withdraw Mr Jones from the firearms unit.

Singer, Tallia Storm

Mr Ritchie asserted the officer was not fit for his specialised role. As reported by Edinburgh Live, he said it was “clear” that the officer showed “poor judgement, decision-making, and situational awareness”.

Though Mr Jones claimed on Monday that Cowgate was within his patrol matrix, Mr Ritchie believed the street was beyond Mr Jones’ purview. He continued: “They parked their vehicle on a double yellow line and stood for selfies with Tallia Storm. For me, the entire incident showed poor judgement and decision-making.”

The retired ACC also took issue with how the vehicle was “far from the kerb” and “blocked the road” and that “Scottish Parliament didn’t have their presence”. Mr Ritchie added: “It showed very low situational awareness of physical surroundings and public perception.

“The reason for permanent withdrawal was these qualities can’t be in question for armed police. If life is taken, there is a fatal accident inquiry and possibly a criminal trial. The first question asked is if there were any doubts about their professional awareness.” If yes, Mr Ritchie argued, he would be asked why the officers were put in the position to use firearms.

“It was quite clear to me their actions were indefensible. We can’t have any doubts. I took the decision to permanently withdraw the officers from firearms duties.”

On Monday, Mr Jones argued that it was his job to engage with the public and that he did not want the public to “fear the police”. However, Mr Ritchie contended that firearms officers are held to different standards.

He said: “It’s not something that firearms officers do to leave their car and engage with the public in that way. Particularly to leave the car in the position it was.”

Tallia Storm

He added that Mr Jones was obligated to “perform a security role, not a community engagement role” and the officer “didn’t make a risk assessment for if an incident occurred at Scottish Parliament” while taking selfies. Doing so while carrying weapons, Mr Ritchie argued, showed a degree of “entitlement” and was “perhaps intimidatory to members of the public”.

Though Mr Jones raised the suit under a sex discrimination claim, Mr Ritchie downplayed the notion that “misogynistic” behaviour resulted in Mr Jones’ withdrawal.

He said: “I never accused him of misogynistic conduct. I didn’t personally see anything in his conduct that he was misogynistic”. Mr Ritchie stated the officer’s gender would “not have mattered” in his decision, and that the nature of the transgression meant it was “virtually impossible to continue as a firearms officer”.

The five-day proceedings began on Monday, June 9 and are presided over by Employment Judge Amanda Jones. The tribunal continues.