Osama Hussain, a former Leicestershire police officer trading thousands of Euros on cryptocurrency has been banned for providing false information about his crypto holdings.
To examine the risk of vulnerability to financial inducement, the Leicestershire police force carries out a series of checks on potential staff. The check ensures complete honesty among officers. An important part of the pre-employment assessment involves a thorough investigation of a person’s financial life.
Hussain’s Financial Vetting
Osama Hussain was assessed when he wanted to join the UK police force in November 2022. But, he lied concerning his knowledge of cryptocurrency saying that he had invested only £150 into digital assets and was an amateur in crypto. He passed the vetting with an agreement to inform the force about any significant changes in his financial life.
During his vetting, Mr Hussain reported that has not been close with an unrevealed Person A. Later on, a transaction of about £4000 between Hussain and Person A was discovered. So, Hussain’s claim of not being in contact with Person A was a lie.
Further, in January 2023, Santander bank blocked Hussain’s account and he didn’t tell the police force about it. Instead, some months later after he got married, he filed for a change in circumstances. When asked about any changes in his financial circumstances, he said there were none. However, he was trading thousands of Euros in cryptocurrency.
Leicestershire Police Statements and Decision
Before the force discovered Mr Hussain’s lies, he resigned from the police. Upon the investigation result, Chief Constable Rob Nixon concluded that Hussain knew that his crypto transaction with Person A would threaten his application to work with the police force. He said, “ he has maintained the lie to cover up his previous activity and his relationship with Person A.”
Although he resigned from police work earlier and pleaded guilty to not revealing the information during vetting, Nixon barred him from the police force leaving him with no chance of returning to join the force. He also indicated that he would have dismissed Mr Hussain, if these things were revealed when he was still serving with the police.
In conclusion, Nixon said, “His conduct was fundamentally dishonest, demonstrated a serious lack of integrity, was continued, and would seriously undermine public confidence in policing.”
