Five serving police officers from Pudsey Police have been sacked and three former colleagues told they would have been dismissed over a WhatsApp group featuring “routine misogyny” and “casual racism”.
The eight current and former officers appeared before a gross misconduct hearing relating to inappropriate, offensive and derogatory posts in a WhatsApp group they were part of.
The hearing revealed they also shared photographs of “death scenes”, car crashes, missing people and detainees.
The hearing panel, chaired by an independent legally-qualified chair, found that all five serving officers should be dismissed and that the three officers who resigned while under investigation would have been dismissed if still serving.
The officers are:
- PC Luke Riddett – 26 findings of gross misconduct and 12 findings of misconduct.
- Ex-PC Tom Harrison – 10 findings of gross misconduct and four findings of misconduct.
- PC X (who is subject of an anonymity order) – eight findings of gross misconduct and three findings of misconduct.
- PS Mark Otter – seven findings of gross misconduct and one finding of misconduct.
- PC Javaid Habeeb – five findings of gross misconduct and 10 findings of misconduct.
- Ex-PC Matthew Harrison – five findings of gross misconduct and five findings of misconduct.
- PC Dominique Hawkins – four findings of gross misconduct and two findings of misconduct.
- Ex-PC Lee Hillyard – two findings of gross misconduct and one finding of misconduct.
All eight will now be added to the College of Policing’s Barred List preventing them from gaining any further employment in policing.
The hearing was told about a number of messages of concern within the WhatsApp group, which included:
- The sharing of a photograph taken at the scene of a sudden death after the body had been removed and inappropriate comments from others within the group.
- Inappropriate discussions about individuals involved in serious injury/fatal road traffic collisions, including one conversation in which a photograph was shared from the scene.
- Derogatory comments made about colleagues and one particular colleague’s family members. These included messages that were deemed to be misogynistic and transphobic.
- Inappropriate discussion about suicide, both in relation to a colleague and a vulnerable member of the public.
- Comments about sexual harassment and claims about individuals both within the WhatsApp group and colleagues who were not part of the group.
- The sharing of images of missing people and arrested individuals and associated inappropriate comments, including those of a racist nature.
The chat group came to the Force’s attention after an inspector made a report to the Professional Standards Directorate after becoming aware of potential inappropriate behaviour. A referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who declared it as an independent investigation.
Speaking after the heating, Detective Chief Superintendent Tanya Wilkins, Head of West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “This misconduct hearing looked not only at the actions of this group but also their inaction.
“The lack of challenge and complicity of a supervisor being involved in these conversations has allowed a culture of routine misogyny, casual racism and bullying to develop within this team.
“We make clear to all employees of West Yorkshire Police the standards we expect of them both on and off duty and have a specific policy in place around the use of social media, which includes WhatsApp. The messages that were looked at as part of this investigation were mean-spirited and not representative of the inclusive culture we seek to foster in West Yorkshire Police.
“Frontline policing can be extremely hard, and this is well recognised. West Yorkshire Police has a variety of services available internally, including peer support, counselling, chaplaincy support and TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) for those affected by a traumatic event, incident or situation.
“We understand that there still remains a place for more informal support between colleagues, but a social media platform is not the appropriate place to discuss and share information about sensitive operational matters.
“Supporting colleagues can also not be used as an excuse for the use of racist and misogynistic language, which have no place in policing.”
Any members of the public with information about any potential misconduct or criminal behaviour by any police employee can report the issue in person at a police station, by calling 101 or by using Live Chat online. There is also the option to contact West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate directly by calling 01924 292044 or emailing psdintel@westyorkshire.police.uk
You can also provide information anonymously to the Police Anti-Corruption and Abuse Reporting Service, which is run by independent charity Crimestoppers. You can access the service by calling 0800 085 0000 or by using their online reporting form.