Officer slapped staffer

A police officer was sanctioned for serious misconduct after slapping one of his staff on the back of her head. The Southern district police officer reported concerns in February about treatment she was receiving from her supervisor, including belittling comments made to her in front of colleagues and an incident where he allegedly slapped her on the back of her head. The Independent Police Conduct Authority said a police investigation, overseen by the IPCA, found the allegations were substantiated. Southern district commander Superintendent Paul Basham said police took such allegations ‘‘extremely seriously’’. Basham said the supervising officer remained a police employee.