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South Wales Guardian
4 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Police officer dismissed for sending racist and sexualised WhatsApp messages
The office of the Police Ombudsman said the messages, which were sent while the officer was on duty, contained material which was sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic and sexualised. The complainant contacted the Police Ombudsman when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer continued to send the material, despite being asked to stop on two occasions. Nikki Davis, director of investigations at the ombudsman's office, said: 'Digital analysis of the police officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers 'This was not a one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgment. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics.' Mrs Davis added: 'When this kind of messaging specifically targets women and combines sexual, racist and sectarian references, it moves into the realm of online gender-based hate speech 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women is unacceptable, and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls. 'However, this case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account, all of which contributes positively to public confidence in policing.' Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act (2003). The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher held a special hearing, after which the police officer was dismissed. He was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics, including those relating to professional duty, equality and integrity. Eight police officers, who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them, were referred to the PSNI in relation to potential breaches of the code of ethics. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. The office has previously called for fast-tracking powers in cases where it is clear from an early stage in an investigation that there is criminality or gross misconduct which could result in an officer being dismissed without undue delay. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, said such behaviour would not be tolerated. He said: 'Police officers are held to the highest possible standards both on and off duty. 'Behaviour such as this case has rightly resulted in dismissal from service and should serve as a timely reminder that similar behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.'
North Wales Chronicle
5 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Police officer dismissed for sending racist and sexualised WhatsApp messages
The office of the Police Ombudsman said the messages, which were sent while the officer was on duty, contained material which was sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic and sexualised. The complainant contacted the Police Ombudsman when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer continued to send the material, despite being asked to stop on two occasions. Nikki Davis, director of investigations at the ombudsman's office, said: 'Digital analysis of the police officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers 'This was not a one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgment. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics.' Mrs Davis added: 'When this kind of messaging specifically targets women and combines sexual, racist and sectarian references, it moves into the realm of online gender-based hate speech 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women is unacceptable, and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls. 'However, this case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account, all of which contributes positively to public confidence in policing.' Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act (2003). The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher held a special hearing, after which the police officer was dismissed. He was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics, including those relating to professional duty, equality and integrity. Eight police officers, who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them, were referred to the PSNI in relation to potential breaches of the code of ethics. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. The office has previously called for fast-tracking powers in cases where it is clear from an early stage in an investigation that there is criminality or gross misconduct which could result in an officer being dismissed without undue delay. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, said such behaviour would not be tolerated. He said: 'Police officers are held to the highest possible standards both on and off duty. 'Behaviour such as this case has rightly resulted in dismissal from service and should serve as a timely reminder that similar behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.'
The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
PSNI officer dismissed for sending racist, sectarian, and antisemitic WhatsApp messages
LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago A PSNI OFFICER has been dismissed for sending WhatsApp messages which contained material that was sectarian, racist, homophobic, antisemitic, misogynistic and sexualised. A complainant contacted Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman when the officer continued to send the material, despite having been asked to stop on two occasions. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. Nikki Davis, Director of Investigations with the Police Ombudsman's Office, said that a digital analysis of the officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, 'which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers'. Davis said that this was not a 'one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgement'. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics,' said Davis. She added that some of the messages 'combined sexual, racist and sectarian references' which moved it 'into the realm of online gender-based hate speech'. 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women, is unacceptable, and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls,' said Davis. She added that that case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be 'robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account'. Advertisement Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act. The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department and after a special hearing held by the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, the officer was dismissed. The officer was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics and was deemed to have acted 'in a way that is likely to bring discredit upon the Police Service'. He also breached equality and integrity articles within the PSNI's code of ethics. Meanwhile, eight officers who received the messages were referred to the PSNI for potential breaches of the code of ethics for failing to report or challenge them. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the 'robust actions show that we will not tolerate this damaging and unprofessional behaviour – there is no excuse'. He said the 'messages repeatedly shared by this former constable were shocking, wholly inappropriate and discriminatory'. He added that officers who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them were subject to management action. He added that a further three officers were dismissed without notice in recent months in similar circumstances following 'wholly inappropriate material being shared amongst groups'. 'If the public is to have confidence that we will police without prejudice and fairly, it is essential that just as we pursue perpetrators in our communities, we are as committed to rooting out those that may be in our own ranks,' said Boutcher. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish police officer dismissed for sending racist & sexualised WhatsApp messages
A police officer in Northern Ireland has been sacked after sending 'highly inappropriate and offensive' messages via WhatsApp. The office of the Police Ombudsman said the messages, which were sent while the officer was on duty, contained material which was sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic and sexualised. The complainant contacted the Police Ombudsman when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer continued to send the material, despite being asked to stop on two occasions. Nikki Davis, director of investigations at the ombudsman's office, said: 'Digital analysis of the police officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers. 'This was not a one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgment. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics.' Mrs Davis added: 'When this kind of messaging specifically targets women and combines sexual, racist and sectarian references, it moves into the realm of online gender-based hate speech. 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women is unacceptable and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls. 'However, this case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account, all of which contributes positively to public confidence in policing.' Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act (2003). The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher held a special hearing, after which the police officer was dismissed. He was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics, including those relating to professional duty, equality and integrity. Eight police officers, who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them, were referred to the PSNI in relation to potential breaches of the code of ethics. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. The office has previously called for fast-tracking powers in cases where it is clear from an early stage in an investigation that there is criminality or gross misconduct which could result in an officer being dismissed without undue delay. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, said such behaviour would not be tolerated. He said: 'Police officers are held to the highest possible standards both on and off duty. 'Behaviour such as this case has rightly resulted in dismissal from service and should serve as a timely reminder that similar behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Powys County Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Police officer dismissed for sending racist and sexualised WhatsApp messages
A police officer in Northern Ireland has been sacked after sending 'highly inappropriate and offensive' messages via WhatsApp. The office of the Police Ombudsman said the messages, which were sent while the officer was on duty, contained material which was sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic and sexualised. The complainant contacted the Police Ombudsman when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer continued to send the material, despite being asked to stop on two occasions. Nikki Davis, director of investigations at the ombudsman's office, said: 'Digital analysis of the police officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers 'This was not a one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgment. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics.' Mrs Davis added: 'When this kind of messaging specifically targets women and combines sexual, racist and sectarian references, it moves into the realm of online gender-based hate speech 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women is unacceptable, and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls. 'However, this case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account, all of which contributes positively to public confidence in policing.' Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act (2003). The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher held a special hearing, after which the police officer was dismissed. He was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics, including those relating to professional duty, equality and integrity. Eight police officers, who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them, were referred to the PSNI in relation to potential breaches of the code of ethics. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. The office has previously called for fast-tracking powers in cases where it is clear from an early stage in an investigation that there is criminality or gross misconduct which could result in an officer being dismissed without undue delay. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, said such behaviour would not be tolerated. He said: 'Police officers are held to the highest possible standards both on and off duty. 'Behaviour such as this case has rightly resulted in dismissal from service and should serve as a timely reminder that similar behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.'
