Police officer moves three hours away from base then sues over long commute

A Metropolitan Police officer moved three hours from his base and sued for discrimination after being denied the right to work from home. The officer, PC Paul Heard, relocated from South London to Suffolk, creating a six-hour daily round trip commute to his Croydon base. He complained to an employment tribunal that the journey was exhausting and fatiguing and affected his physical and mental health. He requested remote work from his Suffolk home despite his policing role serving the Croydon community. The Met refused, stating that working from such a distance would prevent effective duties in the community. The London South Employment Tribunal ruled against him on disability discrimination and indirect disability discrimination, and he remains employed by the force.

"A Metropolitan Police officer moved three hours away from his base, then sued the force for discrimination after being denied the right to work from home. PC Paul Heard relocated from South London to Suffolk, leading to a six-hour daily round trip commute to his Met Police base in Croydon. He complained to an employment tribunal that the journey was "exhausting", claiming that it was "fatiguing" and impacted his physical and mental health."

"Despite his role requiring him to provide policing services within the Croydon community, PC Heard formally requested to work remotely from his new home in Suffolk. The Met, however, refused his demands, saying that as an officer, he could not effectively conduct his duties in the community if working from such a distance. PC Heard then brought a case against the force at the London South Employment Tribunal, alleging disability discrimination and indirect disability discrimination."

"The tribunal ruled against the officer, who remains a serving member of the force. PC Heard began working as a police officer with the Met and in 2017 star"

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