A City of London Police officer has been dismissed after making inappropriate sexual comments towards female recruits he was meant to train.
PC Mathieu Merenda was accused of making several sexually-charged remarks, including discussing infidelity with his wife’s friends, making sexual jokes, and asking one female officer about her relationship status. He also made sexual innuendos, including one when a recruit struggled with a laptop charger and suggested she provide a sexual favour in exchange for a new warrant card.
Additionally, Merenda was reported to have touched a female recruit on the back and hip, pushing her down as the class gathered around a table to view a document.
One recruit described him as “creepy,” while a male trainee suggested this type of behaviour might be part of police culture. Following a misconduct hearing, Merenda was dismissed for gross misconduct and will be banned from future police work.
Detective Superintendent Carly Humphreys from City of London Police Professional Standards said, “Merenda abused his position of trust as a trainer and behaved inappropriately. He has been dismissed with immediate effect. We must maintain trust and confidence in policing, and we expect all officers to uphold our professional standards.”
Merenda, who joined City of London Police in 2014 after working as a PCSO, was working as a traffic officer when he was convicted in 2020 for driving without due care and attention. After a disciplinary process, he moved to a tutoring role in the force’s learning and development department, where he taught motoring law to new recruits.
However, in October 2022, just months after taking on the teaching role, a student accused him of sexual assault, and further allegations followed about his conduct. Some students described his behaviour as “sexually charged,” citing instances where he shared personal details of his infidelity and made inappropriate sexual comments.
The misconduct panel revealed that in one instance, Merenda sent an emotionally charged text message to a recruit saying, “Can’t believe you left without saying goodbye.” On another occasion, he asked a female recruit about having a boyfriend and made an inappropriate comment about helping her order a new warrant card.
Merenda also made an innuendo when he saw a recruit struggling to plug in her laptop, saying, “What else do you struggle to put in?”
In September 2022, during a class, Merenda was found to have been unnecessarily close to a female recruit. However, the panel concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a claim that he pushed her into his groin area.
The panel emphasized that as a tutor, Merenda was a role model to new recruits and his actions set an unacceptable example of sexualized behaviour.
Commander Umer Khan, who chaired the misconduct panel, said, “The use of sexualized language and behaviour in this role was inappropriate and unacceptable. Merenda demonstrated to recruits a culture that has no place in the police service.”
