Peter Glover, formerly a Sergeant in the Hertfordshire Police Force, was demoted to a Constable after a hearing found he was ‘not fundamentally unfit to be a police officer’ despite admitting that he used a ‘disproportionate and inappropriate level of force’.

Glover first came into contact with Alex Halifax in February 2023 when he took him into custody at Hatfield Police Station. While Halifax was in the ‘controlled environment’ of his cell, Glover entered and was found to have struck him three times to the head, a knee strike to the body, dragged his knee down Halifax’s back and forced his arms back up towards his neck. Mr. Halifax’s complaint following his release prompted a misconduct investigation.

The subsequent hearing in November 2024 noted Glover was a ‘hard-working and well-respected officer’ and found the seriousness of the event to be ‘moderate’. They observed that Glover had ‘fallen short with regards to judgement and management in a supervisory role’ and that his actions constituted ‘gross misconduct’, demoting him as punishment.

The Hertfordshire Police stated that it ‘expects the highest standards of conduct from all its officers and staff’ and that ‘Those who fall short of those standards will face misconduct procedures’.

Glover was also the subject of a 2022 report following concerns about aftercare he provided to a detainee who also experienced the use of force.