Police officers win payout over Tallia Storm picture

Two male police officers who had their authorisation to carry firearms removed after posing for a photograph with singer Tallia Storm have won a combined payout of almost £50,000.

PC Steven Jones, 35, and PC Greg Tunnock, 34, were pulled from their roles following the incident in Edinburgh, which appeared on TikTok in March 2024.

An employment tribunal found Police Scotland directly discriminated against the pair because of their sex and the decision to withdraw their firearms "amounted to a knee-jerk reaction in response to adverse media coverage".

Police Scotland said it would carefully consider the judgement for areas of improvement before commenting further.

The tribunal heard that the firearms officers approached Storm for a photograph after recognising her while out on patrol in Edinburgh.

They said they left their vehicle for about a minute and made sure it was secure.

The officers said they had intended to show the photograph to the forces communications department as an example of them engaging positively with the public, which they are encouraged to do.

Instead, when footage of them taking the selfie was posted on social media the pair were summoned to a meeting, had their firearms authorisations revoked and were transferred out of their unit - operational services division.

Their managers were worried the incident could be perceived as sexist.

But the tribunal found there was nothing that "could reasonably be perceived as sexist or misogynistic".

Giving evidence earlier this summer, the police officers said they had suffered mental health issues over their treatment.

Edinburgh Employment Tribunal ruled that PC Jones should be awarded compensations of £24,800 and PC Tunnock should receive £23,824.

Employment Judge Amanda Jones said: "The claimants were directly discriminated against because of their sex by the respondent by permanently withdrawing their firearms authorisation and by insisting on their transfer from the operational services division."

She also said she did not find aspects of the evidence of Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie, who has now retired, to be satisfactory.

She said she did not find some of his evidence "to be either credible or reliable".

"His evidence came across more as dogmatic, than direct at times and he was uncomfortable at his evidence being challenged," she wrote.

"He did not make any concessions even where the documentary evidence contradicted his position, and gave contradictory evidence."

The officers said they believed they were treated unfairly because of "past instances of misogyny" involving other officers in the firearms unit.

In 2022, female police officer Rhona Malone was handed a £1m victim payout for alleged sexual discrimination.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We are grateful to the employment tribunal panel for hearing the evidence in this case and for delivering their judgment.

"It is important that we now carefully consider the judgment to gather any learning and areas of improvement before commenting further."

Ms Malone said she was relieved and gratified to know officers were challenging "archaic beliefs and questioning the integrity of those responsible for administering policy and procedure".

She added it took "phenomenal courage and resilience to hold an organisation of this magnitude to account and I congratulate the officers involved".