Two former British Transport Police (BTP) officers would have
been dismissed if they were still serving for sharing offensive
messages in a WhatsApp group, following a gross misconduct
hearing.
It follows an IOPC investigation into allegations that six
officers had shared or failed to report or challenge
inappropriate messages.
Two of the officers from the group were previously dismissed
following an accelerated misconduct hearing in January and a
fifth officer received a final written warning for misconduct in
June.
On Wednesday (12 Nov), the case was found proven that former
police sergeant Trevor Waller and former officer B had breached
the police standards of professional behaviour relating to:
integrity; authority, respect and courtesy; equality and
diversity; orders and instructions; confidentiality;
discreditable conduct; and challenging and reporting improper
conduct.
In January PC Joe Le Cappelain and former PC Jack Hunter were
dismissed following an accelerated misconduct hearing. They were
also criminally investigated for potential offences under the
Communications Act and, at the end of our investigation, we sent
a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service which decided
not to charge.
A fifth officer, a PC, was given a two-year final written warning
at a misconduct meeting in June. A sixth officer we investigated,
a former PC, was found to have no disciplinary case to answer.
Our independent investigation, which focused on messages
exchanged between April and August 2023, began following a
voluntary conduct referral from BTP in October 2023.
It looked at allegations that six officers in a WhatsApp group
had shared or failed to challenge or report the messages to
senior colleagues.
Some were offensive, discriminatory and derogatory and included
remarks about vulnerable members of the public - including those
experiencing mental health crises - and fellow officers.
Sensitive operational matters were also discussed in the group,
contrary to BTP policy.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Some of the messages uncovered
in this investigation were not only unprofessional but
discriminatory, and entirely inappropriate. We also found there
was a failure to challenge or report inappropriate messages among
the officers involved.
“The public rightly expect officers to be held to a high standard
and they must be held to account when their conduct falls far
short of what is acceptable.”
The panel determined the comments ‘demonstrated an abject failure
to treat vulnerable individuals with respect or courtesy.'
During the investigation, which concluded in October 2024,
investigators reviewed both the screen recordings and phone
download of this WhatsApp group chat, interviewed the police
officers under investigation, obtained and reviewed applicable
policies and obtained statements from several witnesses.
Notes to editors
Notes: Former officer B was granted anonymity
and subject to reporting restrictions.
