A police officer in Northern Ireland has been dismissed after sending "highly inappropriate and offensive" WhatsApp messages while on duty. The messages contained sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic and sexualised material.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer continued sending the offensive content despite being asked to stop on two occasions. The complainant then contacted the Police Ombudsman for investigation.
Digital evidence reveals pattern
Digital analysis of the officer's phone revealed multiple inappropriate images and videos sent to the complainant, members of the public and other police officers. Nikki Davis, director of investigations at the ombudsman's office, said this was not an isolated incident.
"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," Davis said.
Gender-based hate speech concerns
Davis highlighted the serious nature of the messaging, particularly when targeting women. "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," she said.
She added that for a police officer to display such attitudes towards women was unacceptable and undermined the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls. However, the case demonstrated that misconduct allegations would be robustly investigated.
Legal proceedings and dismissal
Following the investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service regarding potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages under 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 officer was dismissed for breaching multiple articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics.
Other officers referred
Eight police officers who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them were referred to the PSNI regarding potential breaches of the code of ethics. The Police Ombudsman received the original complaint in July 2023.
The ombudsman's office has previously called for fast-tracking powers in cases where criminality or gross misconduct is clear from early stages, allowing officers to be dismissed without undue delay.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
