The detective constable, who faces possible dismissal from his job, has been told that the criminal “might have been offended” had he heard the remark, although he was not present at the time.

The officer was informed that he will be subject to disciplinary action together with three colleagues — a detective sergeant, a uniformed sergeant and a constable — after covert video recordings were made of them at their police station in Nottingham. The other officers are accused of also using “inappropriate language” in private conversations.

All four have been taken off frontline duties that might bring them into contact with members of the public while they await formal decisions as to their futures.

The covert taping was being carried out by Nottinghamshire police to investigate alleged corruption by another member of staff. The officers facing disciplinary action are not suspected of any criminal activity and the fact that their comments were recorded was a coincidence.

However, the force’s professional standards department decided last year to place all four officers on so-called “regulation nine” notices signalling disciplinary action even though no complaints had been received from other staff or members of the public.

After the corruption inquiry has been concluded, the deputy chief constable, Howard Roberts, will review the allegations and decide whether to carry out a full inquiry which could result in the officers’ dismissal.

Critics have called the affair “ludicrous”.

Mick Taylor, chairman of the Nottinghamshire branch of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: “There has been an accusation that some words have been said that may have caused offence to a career criminal if he had been present, even though he wasn’t.

“This is a man of the criminal fraternity who has a number of convictions. So it does seem ludicrous that we have to go to these levels, but that is the way life is now.

“This was a private conversation between colleagues and surely people have got a right to that? A personal view is that if no members of the public or work colleagues have made complaints, then I question the need for disciplinary action.”

The officer accused of corruption offences, PC Charles Fletcher, who faces a charge of conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office and two counts of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, is due to be tried later this year.

Taylor said: “Now the officers on the disciplinary notices will have to wait until after the corruption inquiry is finished and all trials conducted before the video-taped evidence can be examined and that may take a long time.

“Some of these officers have got 20 or more years of service and commendations to their name and they don’t deserve to have this hanging over them for so long.”

A source close to the four officers said: “It is difficult enough for officers to carry out their frontline duties without having to battle political correctness as well.”

A Nottinghamshire police spokesman said: “We can confirm that four members of staff have been served with regulation nine notices, which informs (them) they are being investigated on internal professional misconduct matters.”

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