An Indian-origin official has been sacked without notice from Scotland Yard for his overly aggressive and discriminatory behavior, after a professional standards probe is investigating a year’s worth of social media messages, including Meghan Markle, Duchess Also included is a racist joke about Off Sussex.
Police constables (PC) Sukhdev Zeer and PC Paul Heyford, both attached to forensic services in the Metropolitan Police, faced a misconduct trial, which concluded this week that charges of exchanging obscene messages against them were proven Were.
The tribunal heard details of several racist posts in 2018 shortly before her marriage to Prince Harry, including one that allegedly contained a racist slur about Markle.
“These vile messages were shared in 2018 among a small group of officers within a closed WhatsApp group. I need not say that it is completely unacceptable for anyone, let alone a police officer, to behave like this. The actions of all three are unforgivable,” said Commander John Sewell, of the professional standard.
“The entire Mate is focused on rooting out anyone who displays this type of behavior and serves the Mate and the public. Such behavior will absolutely not be tolerated and we take every opportunity to punish our officers and employees. Giving this message.”
The officers faced an allegation at the level of gross misconduct that between December 2017 and December 2018, while working in the Central East Command Unit, he was part of a WhatsApp group on his personal phone.
They used the group to exchange messages, memes and other content that was inappropriate, highly offensive and discriminatory. The content was discriminatory based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and disability.
Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett, who leads the Met Police’s Central East Division, said: “This adverse behavior does a great deal of damage to that trust and I want to apologize to every single member of the public who has served in this area.”
“These officers, rightly so, have been dismissed. I don’t want any official to engage in this kind of behavior anywhere around your community. I would personally email everyone working in the Middle East to reinforce the message that words matter, respect matters, and every time someone sends a message like this they do real hurt. , “They said.
PC Geer and Hayford will now be added to the barred list conducted by the College of Policing.
Those not on the list cannot be employed by the police, the local police body (PCC), the Independent Office for Police Conduct or Her Majesty’s Constabulary and the Inspectorate of Fire and Rescue Services.
The officers also faced an allegation at the level of misconduct that they failed to challenge or report the other members of each group for their behavior.
The message came to light when the phone of another former officer, Richard Hammond, was investigated as part of an unrelated criminal investigation. He was sacked without any notice in October 2021 after being convicted for subverting the process of justice.
The Met Police said it is “working hard to rebuild trust in the nation’s largest police force and recognizes that we have much more to do.”
Each Met employee is talked about responsible use of social media, full adherence to professional boundaries, and actively intervening and challenging wrongdoing.