The former head of the Police Federation, accused of making sexual comments about a colleague and a police widow, has said he challenged inappropriate banter amongst officers.
John Apter is accused of three allegations of gross misconduct, including saying that he would like to “comfort” PC Andrew Harper’s widow, Lissie Harper, in his hotel room, shortly before she collected a posthumous award on behalf of her late husband.
He is also accused of making an inappropriate comment about a female pregnant colleague and touching the bottom of a woman during a night out in London.
When asked by Cecily White about suggestions of “hypocrisy” at the Federation, where banter was criticised publicly but was carried out regularly “behind closed doors”, Mr Apter, who retired as a PC in 2022, said he “did not recognise that”.
READ MORE: John Apter says allegations are 'deeply offensive'
Mr Apter, 55, told the hearing at Hampshire Constabulary’s strategic headquarters in Eastleigh: “There is banter that crosses the line and (there is) good-humoured joking with colleagues in a reciprocal way.
“I have always been firm, behaviour that crosses the line doesn’t have a place in policing. Maybe culturally a decade or so ago it was different, but I challenged it.
“I have said very publicly about misogyny and banter, I stand by every word.
"Of course, if I would hear banter, if anything was said, I would challenge it but that isn’t something I recognise as happening on a regular basis.”
When asked by Cecily White, representing the appropriate authority, Hampshire Constabulary, if he denied making the comment about Mrs Harper, Mr Apter said: “One hundred per cent.”
PC Harper, who worked for Thames Valley Police, was killed while responding to a bike theft by three teenagers in Berkshire in August 2019, just four weeks after getting married.
Mr Apter denies all of the allegations against him.
Asked why he felt he had been made the subject of the allegations, he said: “It’s painful to say as I had good working relationships with people, but at times I had to challenge and that wasn’t well-received.
“I can only imagine people’s motivations for saying such wicked and untrue things and it’s been incredibly damaging.”
The hearing continues.
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