A student police officer who claimed "terrorists have beards and wear turbans" has been dismissed from West Midlands Police without notice.
PC Tranter made the offensive comment during a training session in 2023, reports BirminghamLive.
He also laughed when a tutor highlighted that branding a mixed-race person an "Oreo" is an inappropriate term.
A misconduct panel found his actions represented an "unconscious racial bias" and amounted to gross misconduct. The officer was sacked following a hearing on April 9.
PC Tranter made the offensive comment during a training session in 2023
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PC Tranter attended an "intense" 20-week training course as a student officer in 2023. On June 30, he made comments "to the effect that terrorists have beards and wear turbans" in front of four other student officers.
The incident occurred towards the end of his training programme, which included inputs on values, professional standards, the Code of Ethics and the history of police relationships with different communities.
Tranter admitted to making the comment but claimed it "amounted to misconduct only" rather than gross misconduct.
His colleagues found his remarks "unacceptable" and reported them to a supervisor.
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Lloyd House in Birmingham, headquarters of the West Midlands Police
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Just eight days later, on July 7, tutors gave an example of a mixed-race person being called an "oreo" during a training session delivered by the professional standards department.
Tranter "laughed when hearing this", which was noticed by two other student officers.
One colleague told the panel she saw Tranter laughing as "she was sitting diagonally to him and could see his face and body language".
Tranter denied finding the remark funny, claiming he was laughing "at the stupidity of the officer who had made the 'oreo' remark". Tranter told the panel of his "abhorrence" regarding the comments he made and insisted he "held no racist views".
He described the first incident as "a momentary lapse of judgement" and "a poor attempt at a joke" that he "deeply regretted". The officer blamed his autism, diagnosed in 2016, for "lapses in judgement".
He told the panel his condition meant he has "to think carefully before making comments, lest it be misinterpreted".
Tranter, described as "well-educated", admitted in cross-examination that "he should have known better". The panel found both allegations proven, describing Tranter's actions as "deliberate and intentional".
They were "not persuaded that this was low-level, innocent or clumsy behaviour" and said it was "serious on both counts".
PC Tranter has been dismissed by West Midlands Police
PAThe report stated: "It appears to the panel that the officer still does not accept the seriousness of his actions and the impact upon others and this was much more than instances of poor or misplaced humour."
The panel noted that Tranter "had not learned anything from the reaction of his colleagues to his first comment".
Tranter's conduct was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour relating to authority, respect and courtesy; equality and diversity; and discreditable conduct.
The panel concluded his behaviour "fell well below the standards" expected of police officers.
"It caused a negative impact on others present and the panel found that this was far from a trifling matter," the report stated.
The misconduct hearing was conducted by Chief Constable Craig Guildford, independent panel members Dawn Quick and Christopher Green, and legally qualified advisor Harry Ireland.
