Belfast Live asked the force what station the sacked officer had been working in as other officers were alleged to have ignored offensive messages
The PSNI have refused to say where the officer who was recently sacked for sending “sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, misogynistic and sexualised” WhatsApp messages worked.
The officer was found to have sent the offensive messages over the period of a number of months, even after being asked to stop multiple times, following a Police Ombudsman investigation. Eight other officers have also been referred to the watchdog after allegedly ignoring the messages.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher also revealed in a statement on Thursday, July 31, that three other officers have been dismissed in similar circumstances in recent months.
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Belfast Live asked the PSNI what station the sacked officer was working from and what area they were based in, with the force refusing to reveal this.
Following its investigation the PONI said the “sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, misogynistic and sexualised” messages were sent over a period of months, including when the officer was on duty, and showed “sustained, consistent behaviour” with the WhatsApps continuing even after the officer had been asked to stop twice by the complainant.
“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,” said Nikki Davis, Director of Investigations with the Police Ombudsman’s Office.
“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.”
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “We expect the highest standards of professionalism and integrity from all of our police officers in accordance with the standards contained in the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Code of Ethics.
“This matter was heard by myself in a Special Case Hearing and our robust actions show that we will not tolerate this damaging and unprofessional behaviour – there is no excuse.
“The messages repeatedly shared by this former constable were shocking, wholly inappropriate and discriminatory. The attitudes of sectarianism, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism and misogyny within these messages have no place in policing.
“The police officers who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them were subject to management action in relation to potential breaches of our Code of Ethics.
“A further three officers have been dismissed without notice in recent months in similar circumstances following wholly inappropriate material being shared amongst groups.
“Police officers exercise significant powers, and it is vital that there is an accountability framework for officers. If the public is to have confidence that we will police without prejudice and fairly, it is essential that just as we, as the Police Service, pursue perpetrators in our communities, we are as committed to rooting out those that may be in our own ranks.”
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