Cop hailed a ‘credit score to the career’ after bravery award was hiding a secret
PC Ian Hide was nominated for a police bravery award but just 18 months later was sacked by Merseyside Police after a misconduct hearing ruled he ‘demonstrated a lack of control’
PC Ian Hide (Image: Police Federation)
A former hero police officer who tackled a thug wielding a carving knife has been sacked from the force after hiding a secret. Police Constable Ian Hide had been nominated alongside two colleagues for a national Police Bravery Award and was hailed by the then chief constable as a “credit to their profession”.
However, just 18 months after attending the Police Federation Awards, the now ex-Merseyside Police PC has been dismissed after his conduct was deemed to constitute gross misconduct after it emerged that he’d started an “inappropriate” relationship with someone he met while responding to an incident.
He was sacked without notice and placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.
The hearing heard that Hide’s misconduct commenced in June 2024, the month before the awards ceremony in London, when he contacted a member of the public “he met in the course of his policing duties”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Whilst the full circumstances of the incident remain unclear, Merseyside Police stated that Hide “failed to maintain a professional boundary and demonstrated a lack of self-control in pursuing a non-professional relationship with the member of the public”.
The improper contact persisted until November 2024. An independent chair determined the contact breached national police guidance concerning “maintaining a professional boundary between police and members of the public”.
Merseyside Police also revealed that Hide had utilised internal force systems for a “non-policing purpose”. Detective Chief Superintendent Sabi Kaur, head of the force’s professional standards department, stated: “In this case, the officer chose to pursue a non-professional relationship with a member of the public he had met following his attendance at an incident.
“The public has every right to expect our officers to conduct themselves with the utmost integrity at all times, and to maintain a clear distinction between their professional and personal relationships.
“The behaviour of PC Hide risked undermining public trust and confidence in the police. Having the confidence of the public is essential for us to police Merseyside effectively and I want our communities to feel reassured that we are committed to finding any officers and staff who fail to adhere to our professional standards.”
She noted: “Of note it was a colleague who identified the possibility of a relationship and challenged the officer on it. I hope this demonstrates that we have officers and staff working at Merseyside Police who are prepared to call out behaviour they recognise does not meet the standards we expect.
“We will not allow the unacceptable actions of individuals to damage the good name built up by the vast majority of our officers and staff who do an exemplary job to ensure that all of our communities are protected.”
PC Hide was on duty in St Helens town centre as an undercover officer alongside two colleagues on 5 December 2022 when they were alerted by passers-by about a man threatening to stab people at a bus stop. The man, identified as Thomas McComish, was found nearby wielding a knife.
Rather than surrendering his weapon, McComish lunged at PC Hide, who sustained a broken wrist whilst attempting to fend off the assailant. Despite the injury, PC Hide and his fellow officers managed to disarm the suspect, with one officer landing a punch on the attacker’s face.
PC Hide, a father of a young child and a former army engineer, shared his harrowing experience in court, stating: “It was a job that, as a police officer, you pray you never have to go to. It will stay with me for the rest of my life. I can’t believe I survived. There remains a large piece of me missing.”
McComish, a five-year veteran of the forces before medically retiring, was transported to Aintree Hospital with a broken nose and a fractured eye socket, injuries that will permanently impair his vision. He continued to act “aggressively” towards paramedics in the ambulance and threatened hospital staff, saying: “If you do that to me you will lose some teeth.”
He was subsequently sentenced to seven years and nine months in prison, with an additional four years on licence. Then-Chief Constable Serena Kennedy stated: “Their actions directly led to the detention of an armed man intent on hurting the public and officers, and I have no doubt they spared people more serious injury that day.
“I never take for granted the courage of officers who go to work every day knowing they could be confronted with incredibly dangerous situations such as this but do so willingly and because they care passionately about protecting the public.”
Chair of Merseyside Police Federation, Chris McGlade, added: “These officers demonstrated great bravery in putting the safety of the public before their own. Their actions brought an extremely dangerous situation to a safe conclusion and prevented any further members of the public being harmed. They should rightly be extremely proud of their actions on this day, and it is right that the courage they displayed is being formally recognised.”
