A police officer who used a homophobic term when two children ran away from him committed gross misconduct, a panel has found.
PC Ashley Reid, from Gloucestershire Police, admitted to using the term while searching for two missing children in Coleford on 8 October.
He claimed he muttered the term under his breath in frustration as the children ran away, but the panel overseeing a hearing on Wednesday concluded another police officer, a social worker, and the two children clearly heard what he said.
The panel at the force's headquarters at Waterwells concluded a final written warning of two years was "the correct and proportionate sanction".
Assistant Chief Constable Arman Mathieson, chair of the panel, added: "The use of homophobic language is, and always will be, unacceptable and is not compatible with the role of a police officer."
