29 February 2024 , 09:55
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A former senior police officer has warned that forces are "powerless" over toxic WhatsApp chats used by officers to spread racist and misogynistic messages - as more shocking cases emerge.
As recently as this week, the Mirror revealed that 14 police officers had been placed under investigation for allegedly racist messages. This continued a worrying trend seen in recent years of officers using messaging platforms on their personal phones to spread vile jokes, messages and comments, leaving forces in an awkward bind.
They're being forced to try and police the personal messages of their own officers, who often set up these groups for legitimate reasons - be it social, personal, or even work.
But out of that comes a sinister side where present and former officers send vicious and horrific jokes and messages. One social media expert said the issue lay not with the platforms, but the people using them, as an ex-officer who served with the Met for decades maintained that forces had "no control" over what took place.
Nusrit Mehtab, a former Scotland Yard superintendent, warned the Mirror that such groups are "more widespread than we think". Alongside that, she warned of officers' inappropriate social media use. Things got so bad, that back in 2021 the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) also issued a stark caution to officers about what they did on the social media giants like Twitter, now X, Instagram and Facebook.
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Former Met superintendent Nusrit Mehtab has issued a stark warning over WhatsApp racism and misogyny (Sky)Ms Mehtab told the Mirror: "It’s extremely widespread and the Met’s got no control. They’re powerless. It’s also important to highlight, you’ve got these groups, but some of the same people go online on social media as well."
She continued: "When I was in the police they were still there … this isn’t anything that’s new, they were doing it before. There’s no control over it. These views are there … I don’t think they’ll ever be able to control WhatsApp groups."
The IOPC confirmed to the Mirror that recent years had seen an increase in referrals and investigations relating to officers' use of WhatsApp. Troublingly, this wasn't solely down to the sharing of horrific messages, but in some cases officers abused their power for sexual purpose, contacting victims in an attempt to have sex with them.
IOPC acting deputy director general, Kathie Cashell, said: "WhatsApp can be a useful vehicle for creating transparency and open communication between police forces and the community they serve when done under proper protocols and guidelines.
"It is concerning that we have noticed an increase in referrals and investigations relating to officers’ use of WhatsApp in recent years, including posting and exchanging discriminatory and offensive messages. In some cases, officers have abused their power for sexual purpose by using WhatsApp to contact victims of crime or witnesses they have interacted with through their duties in an attempt to begin an intimate relationship.
"All of this behaviour is wholly unacceptable and brings policing into disrepute. Officers themselves need to understand there can be substantial consequences for WhatsApp misuse including facing dismissal or even a criminal court."
An IOPC report from 2022 highlighted a swathe of issues forces ran into with the use of WhatsApp by officers - stressing it was almost impossible to police on personal phones, but was clearly found to be a benefit as it sped up communications. However, one thing they added was that messaging over WhatsApp changed the dynamics of conversations and may lead to people saying things they normally wouldn't in a face-to-face setting.
Baroness Casey conducted a review into the Met Police, one of a number of forces hit by the messaging scandal, and was told by one officer that officers were encouraged to deleted their WhatsApp messages. Calling her Officer G, she said: "She says officers were told: 'We don’t want more people handing their phones in, take a look at your WhatsApps and Facebook statuses and messages, look carefully, they’re coming for everyone now, protect yourselves.'"
Drew Benvie, CEO of social media consultancy Battenhall stressed to the Mirror that the social media and messaging platforms weren’t the problem, but the attitudes of the user’s: "There is a wider issue at stake when it comes to the role messaging apps and social media play in high-profile cases of abusive behaviour. It's not about the technology, but the need for behaviour change in those who use it.
"Behaviour on and offline has consequences, but there is a misconception that things shared privately will remain private. Anyone sharing an opinion, content they have been sent, or have found through their algorithm, has a duty of care to anyone who could see that content – not just those they are sharing it with. A private message or something shared can ruin people’s lives. The answer is to educate the minority who aren’t aware that their actions have consequences.
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Robert Lewis was on the group where six ex-officers made racist comments about Rishi Sunak and Meghan Markle (PA)
Trevor Lewton arrives at the City Of London Magistrates' Court for sentencing after sending grossly offensive racist messages. (PA)“On public social media, there is a constant battle to remove content that can harm others. Over 4.9 billion people use social media, and tens of thousands work in content moderation to remove harmful content every day. Meta alone removes over one million posts or accounts every hour of every day from Facebook, which shows the scale of social media, and the work being done to maintain its positive impact.
“But with over 140 billion WhatsApp messages sent daily, the issue on private apps isn't the technology itself, but the underlying attitudes of users. Tackling hate speech requires a systemic effort to change these attitudes; otherwise, social media content will see little improvement."
The Met Police is the country's largest police force and not the only one affected by this issue, but has seen a number of recent such issues rear their head in recent years. A spokesperson told the Mirror: "We recognise that WhatsApp has been a feature in some misconduct and criminal cases involving officers and staff. The Met’s senior leadership is clear that it is these unacceptable and sometimes criminal behaviours and attitudes we must root out."
14 Camden officers investigated after night out group chat
This comes as the Mirror revealed earlier this week that fourteen police officers from one station in London were being investigated for gross misconduct over allegedly racist and misogynistic WhatsApp messages.
Members of the response team based out of Camden, London, had been put on desk duties after a group chat made for a night out saw the vile messages shared within it. Of the 14 officers, 12 have been placed on restricted duties, another is already in a non-public facing role and another remains on unrestricted duties.
Commander Owain Richards, in charge of Frontline Policing for the area, said: "These are very serious allegations and a professional standards investigation was launched as soon as this came to light on Wednesday, 14 February. Discriminatory language of any kind will not be tolerated and action will be taken against any officer where the investigation establishes evidence of wrongdoing."
Grace, 19, has been called a 'hero' for trying to save her friend in the attacks which officers shared details of (EssexLive)Sickening officers share Notts attack details
In another shocking incident, it was recently revealed that 11 police officers and staff viewed material related to last year’s horrific Nottingham knife rampage, that they shouldn’t have. Valdo Calocane, in the early hours of June 13 last year, stabbed to death university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar as they walked home from a night out. He then attacked and killed school caretaker Ian Coates as well.
The attack shocked the city, but the revelations since have left the families of the victims furious with Grace’s dad Sanjoy Kumar, saying: "I’m disgusted, it’s absolutely morbid voyeurism." One officer shared details of the awful killing on WhatsApp and another got a final written warning for gross misconduct.
Six ex-cops made racist comments about Meghan Markle and Rishi Sunak
In December last year, Six former Met Police officers were handed a suspended prison sentence for sending racist, sexist and homophobic messages on WhatsApp. They were rumbled by a BBC Newsnight investigation and hadn’t been serving during the time the vile group was active.
Anthony Elsom was one of the six ex-cops rumbled and given an eight week suspended sentence (PA)
Former Met officer Michael Chadwell was given ten weeks, suspended, and made to do 100 hours unpaid work (PA)Dozens of messages were shared over a two year period with references made to Meghan Markle and Rishi Sunak, as well as racist messages about Romanians, Chinese and other nationalities. The six men were sentenced as follows:
- Michael Chadwell, 63, from Liss, Hampshire - 10 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and 100 hours' unpaid work
- Peter Booth, 66, from Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire - eight weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and 140 hours' unpaid work
- Anthony Elsom, 67, from Bournemouth - eight weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and 40 hours' unpaid work
- Trevor Lewton, 65, from Swansea - six weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and 65 hours' unpaid work.
- Alan Hall, 65, from Stowmarket, Suffolk - eight weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and 140 hours' unpaid work.
- Robert Lewis, 62, from Camberley, Surrey - 14 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with 200 hours' unpaid work. He was also fined £500 for possessing two friction batons in a private place, contrary to section 141(1A) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988
Family expose abuser's racist messages rocking Gwent police force
Ricky Jones was outwardly a model police officer before the 52-year-old took his own life. But his family bravely revealed how he abused and controlled them for decades, and exposed the disgustingly racist, homophobic and sexist messages he sent.
Their revelations rocked Gwent Police force and led to other officers being rumbled and suspended as they scrambled to clean up their act.
Former Gwent Police officer Ricky Jones'Secret squirrel s***' group
Eight more Met Police officers, based in Bexley, were in a WhatsApp group called the "secret squirrel s***" and exchanged racist and misogynistic messages, memes and videos. The misconduct hearing was held in February of last year. They made vile comments about a female colleague, called women "silly s***s" and said the fact a holiday resort had "lots of black" was a "drawback".
Harvey Price, pictured with mum Katie, was the butt of some horrific comments in one of the many chatsAnother message spoke of an officer getting away with rape and called him a "legend" and six of the eight officers resigned. Those accused of gross misconduct included two serving officers at the time, PC Glynn Rees and an “Officer B”’ whose identity was kept secret for unexplained reasons.
Horrific language was also used about people with disabilities including Katie Price's son, Harvey.
The others are former Sergeant Luke Thomas, former Acting Sergeant Luke Allen, former PC Kelsey Buchan, former PC Carlo Francisco, former PC Lee South, and former PC Jenner. All eight were found guilty of gross misconduct and two were sacked.
‘Shocking’ rape and racism messages exposed by watchdog
One set of “shocking” racist, sexist and homophobic messages exchanged by Met police officers in a now disbanded Westminster team, were so bad that a watchdog published them in full.
Threats of rape were amongst the messages exchanged on two WhatsApp and one Facebook group. Another bragged about hitting his girlfriend and another officer was described as a “mcrapey raperson”.
Other messages include references to African children, Auschwitz and Somali people are simply too offensive to print. The officers based in Westminster, mostly at Charing Cross police station, were rumbled after an investigation.
West Yorks officer sacked for racist WhatsApp chat
West Yorkshire Police detention officer William Loyd-Hughes arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court (PA)West Yorkshire Police detention officer William Loyd-Hughes held racist views before joining the force, and whilst an officer he sent "blatantly" racist and sexist messages.
He exchanged messages with PC Louis Hepplestone, who was based in Kirklees, and alongside that the 27-year-old, of Crosland Moor, who was based at Huddersfield Police Station, admitted a terror offence in March last year after he published images seemingly supporting a Northern Ireland paramilitary group.
Officer and ex-PC shared grossly offensive messages in group chat with Wayne Couzens
Constable Jonathon Cobban, 35, and ex-PC Joel Borders, 45, were both slapped with 12 weeks in jail after sharing grim and offensive messages.
They were members of a group chat called 'Bottle and Stoppers' along with Wayne Couzens, who is serving a full life sentence for the murder of Sarah Everard. In the group Cobban and Borders traded messages about tasering children and people with disabilities and made a number of racist comments.
Jonathon Cobban, 35, and ex-PC Joel Borders, 45,Officers shared pictures of murdered sisters
Two police offices shared photos of the dead bodies of sisters murdered in a park, and referred to them as "dead birds".
Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, were stabbed to death by Danyal Hussein, 19, at Fryent Country Park in Wembley, northwest London, on June 6 last year.
Deniz Jaffer, 48, had been entrusted with protecting the crime scene (PA)
Jamie Lewis, 33, took 'non-official and inappropriate photographs' (PA)PC Deniz Jaffer, 47, and PC Jamie Lewis, 33, had been manning the cordon and were supposed to have been protecting the crime scene in the early hours of June 8. But they were sacked after they took "non-official and inappropriate photographs" at the crime scene before sharing them on WhatsApp between June 7 and 23. They were each jailed for two years and nine months.
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Six officers from Greater Manchester Police were found guilty of gross misconduct and misconduct after a IOPC investigation.
They shared horrific racist, ableist, and offensive messages in yet another WhatsApp group. PC Rebekah Kelly, PC Ashley Feest and PC Graham Atkinson were amongst the group, called 'The Dispensables' and all hit with gross misconduct.
PC Ashley Feest was hit with gross misconduct (Facebook)They shared horrific racist comments about people attending a festival celebrating Eid and also made ableist comments about people with autism.