A former police officer who was the first to respond to the 2017 Westminster Bridge terror attack has been banned from working in policing after being found guilty of misconduct involving dishonesty and an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. Gary Waite, a former detective sergeant, had resigned from the Metropolitan Police in March 2026 before facing formal disciplinary action. The findings, released last week, state that Waite falsely claimed detective Pervaz Malik was on duty on nine occasions between June 2022 and July 2023, even though Malik was out of the country during some of those times. Waite was also found to have asked Malik for Viagra and received some from him, according to messages released as part of the investigation. The misconduct panel examined messages exchanged between the two officers, including Malik requesting leave and Waite replying with "Whatever you need brother xx." Later messages referenced "plus 4 blue," which the panel interpreted as references to Viagra. Initially, Waite denied receiving the medication, but later claimed he believed it would improve his relationship with his wife. The panel concluded that the nature of their communication showed an "inappropriate and over-familiar relationship" that the public would not expect from a police supervisor and a junior officer. Despite his past commendations, including being praised for his role as the first officer on the scene during the 2017 Westminster Bridge attack—which left five people dead and over 50 injured—Waite's misconduct was deemed serious enough that he would have been dismissed without notice and added to the College of Policing's barred list if he had not already resigned. Waite did not attend the hearing, and the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) noted that he had been arrested in March 2024 on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but no further action was taken at the time. The IOPC’s director of engagement, Amanda Rowe, stated that Waite abused his position and power by falsely representing Malik’s availability, knowing he was out of the country. This allowed Malik to take time off work, which was to the detriment of the Metropolitan Police and the team he worked with. Both officers have been held accountable for their actions, and according to the IOPC, they "will rightly never work in policing again." Malik was also arrested in August 2023 on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, but no further action was taken against him.