2 days ago
BBC security manager fired after claims he spent 12 hours trawling CCTV for kitchen mess culprit
A security manager at BBC Wales' headquarters was sacked following an allegation he spent 12 hours poring through CCTV to find out who made a mess in the kitchen. Mohammad Rakib was fired by the broadcaster's security contractor Mitie after an investigation found he did not have a licence to review CCTV — but he has now won a £31,637 payout after a judge ruled he was unfairly dismissed.
Mr Rakib was a duty security manager for Mitie from April 2022 until his dismissal in September 2023. He managed a team of around five security officers at the BBC's Central Square building in Cardiff city centre. The employment tribunal centred on the events of May 8, 2023, when he was alleged to have breached data protection rules by looking through CCTV footage in the control room without a suitable SIA (Security Industry Authority) licence.
According to Mitie's investigator Martyn Barrass, Mr Rakib gave multiple explanations — at one point saying he reviewed the CCTV because another member of staff had misplaced a bag, and at another point saying he could not remember the reason. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter.
Mr Rakib said during an investigation meeting: "I don't know why. I don't really do CCTV reviews that often, but there was a reason why I was doing it."
Another security officer claimed to have had a conversation in which Mr Rakib admitted going through the footage for 12 hours "to catch who had made a mess in the kitchen".
Questioned on this allegation, Mr Rakib said he thought the "kitchen incident" happened on a different day. He denied spending 12 hours trying to find the culprit.
When Mr Barrass informed the BBC of the matter, the broadcaster's corporate security manager Joel Adlington described the alleged data protection breach as "unacceptable", adding: "I must put on record that it is a significant breach of trust between the staff member and the organisation, and you have my full support in your assessment of gross misconduct."
Mitie held a disciplinary hearing over the alleged CCTV misuse as well as a claim that Mr Rakib had bullied a security officer. The bullying allegation was found "not proven on the evidence" but the firm did conclude Mr Rakib had reviewed footage without the correct licence — and that his explanations for doing so would not have been appropriate even if he did have a licence.
Mitie's regional operations manager Marc Pearson took into account Mr Rakib's decade of service and that he had relocated from London to Cardiff for the job. But he said the damage to trust with the BBC was "so serious" he had to be sacked.
He appealed but the decision was upheld by the deputy account director for the BBC contract, Lee Hill, who acknowledged Mr Rakib had a door supervisor licence entitling him to view live feeds but not to "review footage for any form of investigation without prior approval from the data controller".
At the Cardiff employment tribunal, Judge Rachel Harfield found Mr Hill failed to check whether there was a pattern of other duty security managers reviewing CCTV. "Instead, all Lee Hill did in his appeal outcome letter was fudge the issue by saying if there was evidence of other duty security managers undertaking such activity then appropriate action would be taken to address it," she said.
The judge noted Mr Pearson had failed to properly investigate Mr Rakib's claim that a former colleague had told him a licence was not needed for internal reviewing. Mr Pearson did not attempt to contact that ex-colleague and instead "presupposed" what he would say, the judge said.
The judge also found Mitie had not given Mr Rakib any standard operating procedures on CCTV use. She concluded he had been unfairly and wrongfully dismissed.
Judge Harfield said Mr Rakib was now only earning the minimum wage as a security officer at SGD Guarding. She added: "It took the claimant eight years and a move to Cardiff to get promoted. The claimant says he is now at back of the queue at SGD Guarding in terms of promotion opportunities. He says he thinks it will take another five years."
Following Judge Harfield's ruling against Mitie, the parties agreed to a payout for Mr Rakib totalling £31,637.
