An Indian-origin police officer, Tanvir Brar, who was expelled from a strip club in Australia due to unprofessional behaviour in 2019, has been unsuccessful in his attempt to regain his job, according to a media report. The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) ruled this week that Brar’s termination from the Queensland Police Service (QPS) was justified, rejecting his appeal for reinstatement, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.
Brar, accompanied by his friends, including a fellow officer, visited the ToyBox Gentlemen’s Club in Surfers Paradise in April 2019 to celebrate his bachelor party. According to the CCTV footage presented as evidence during Brar’s appeal to the QIRC, he engaged in a dispute with the club’s manager after being instructed to put away his phone.
According to the club staff, Brar was accused of taking photographs, while Brar himself stated that he was checking cricket scores and messaging friends and his wife. The manager persistently requested Brar to depart after a staff member alleged that he had displayed aggressive behaviour. Brar denied the accusation and further claimed that the manager verbally insulted him, stating, “You four Indian creepy bastards, get the f— out of my place.”
Following his expulsion from the club, Brar faced additional consequences as the incident triggered a 12-month prohibition on his entry into other licensed establishments, as revealed during the QIRC proceedings. Upon learning about the ban, Brar visited the Surfers Paradise police station to file a complaint with Constable Alex Hommema, the reporting officer. Hommema later described Brar as intoxicated and displaying arrogance.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Brar had illicitly accessed QPRIME, a police records management system, on nine separate occasions. The accessed records contained personal information, including the home address of the club manager, according to The Herald. Brar was subsequently convicted of computer hacking. In addition, he withdrew his complaint against the manager, asserting that he had accessed QPRIME to check for system updates.
Based on the police investigation, it was revealed that Brar had expressed a desire for the Queensland Police Service (QPS) to intervene and have the ban on him lifted so that he could go out with his wife. Assistant Commissioner Charysse Pond, during her investigation, characterised Brar, who was under probationary status at the time, as argumentative, aggressive, and impolite.
She concluded that he was unsuitable to continue serving as a constable in the QPS. The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) determined that the QPS’s decision to terminate Brar was justified based on reasonable grounds.
Brar, in his defence, contested the termination by the QPS, arguing that it was excessively severe, unjust, and unreasonable, as presented to the QIRC.
