22 June 2023 , 08:38
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A police officer has been sacked for sending vile WhatsApp messages that targeted the local Asian community.
Former constable Samantha Simpson was dismissed without notice after a misconduct hearing held at Merseyside Police headquarters June 6 found she had breached the standards of professional behaviour.
Simpson, who plays rugby for the Warrington Wolves, broke the standards on multiple occasions.
This was often in her WhatsApps where it was found she had used the racial slur “p***” repeatedly and freely.
She used it often to refer to a certain shop due to the nationality of the owner, and at one point made the disgusting comment: “I call them all p***, not white or English is he.”
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Simpson had been an officer since July 2017 and the breaches occurred from July 2019 to January 2022, The Liverpool Echo reports.
Simpson repeatedly used a racial slur in her messages (Mick Atkins/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)During the hearing, screenshots of WhatsApp messages between Simpson and her then boyfriend Ben Jones were shown.
On July 8 2019, Simpson spoke to Mr Jones whilst on duty, and they discussed mobile phone holders and whether they were on sale in garages.
One of the messages she sent during this exchange read: "Won’t be leaving, just got some paperwork to do, I am gonna actually go into a phone shop in town tho, I don’t go to them garages cause they’ve got weird pervy P*** in them, like never have gone in there xxxx"
And on April 20, 2020, on duty, she referred to a retailer as a "P*** shop."
Again, on May 21, 2020, in an exchange of messages with Mr Jones, she asked: "Ben if we go to the place to pick up tea tonight, can we go the lil P*** shop, I’m really feeling some crisps like a big bag of em aha."
When discussing whether or not she should have added a member of her wrestling team, on June 2, 2020, Mr Jones said: "Did we make a promise" to which Simpson replied "Yeah sorry but he doesn’t really count he’s an Indian. Like a p*** basically."
She then sent him a screenshot and pointed out the person who had been added, and he said: "Looks like a P*** as well not" to which she responded: "Yep well he’s Indian, I call them all P****, not white or English is he."
The hearing concluded Simpson contradicted her oath and showed a "complete lack of respect for all members" of the community (Mick Atkins/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)On November 5, 2020, she asked Mr Jones: "Reckon the p*** shop on Old Roan will sell sparklers."
On April 29, 2021, she sent a friend's phone number to Mr Jones.
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When he asked what it was for, she responded that it was in case she was kidnapped. After leaving her keys in a taxi, she said: "“He’s dropping them off tomorrow, some old P******."
Speaking about a trip to the Manchester markets, on May 4, 2021, she said: "No the P**** ones."
Mr Jones replied saying “Oh the Asian community ones" to which she replied "Yeah."
When buying clothes and boots, she commented: "Omfg they have given me the wrong boots Ben, no, the f***** P**** c****, hasn’t checked the box has he."
A further five occasions were identified where Simpson used the word "P****" but they were not detailed and shown in the hearing.
The hearing concluded the language used by Simpson in the messages contradicts her oath and shows a "complete lack of respect for all members" of the community.
Chaired by Chief Constable Kennedy the Accelerated Misconduct Hearing was held at Merseyside Police Headquarters on Tuesday, June 6, this year.
During the hearing , it was said: "It is my view that an officer who is prepared to use this language has no place in policing and it would absolutely and quite rightly undermine the trust and confidence in Merseyside Police, if they were to remain in Merseyside Police.
"I considered whether a final written warning is appropriate in this case and for the reasons given above, I do not think that it is.
“My sanction in this case is immediate dismissal without notice."
Former constable Simpson did not attend the hearing and there were no further submissions made on her behalf during the meeting.
In a statement released online, Warrington Wolves said: "Warrington Wolves is aware of today's newspaper report regarding our women's player Samantha Simpson.
"The Club recognises the seriousness of this report and will be making further inquiries with the player.
"Samantha has been stood down from selection with immediate effect. The Club will be making no further comment at this stage."
A spokesperson for Merseyside police confirmed the case was proven against Simpson and that she breached professional standards of behaviour by repeatedly using a derogatory term.
They added: "The hearing concluded that the breach amounted to Gross Misconduct and that the former officer, who resigned before the date of the hearing, would have been dismissed from the force without notice if she had still been serving.
"She will now be placed on the College of Policing’s Barred List."
Chief Superintendent Jennifer Wilson, Head of the force’s Professional Standards Department, said: "We demand the highest possible standards from officers and staff, whether they are on duty or off duty.
“On this occasion, Constable Simpson did not meet those standards, and it is right that she has had to answer for her behaviour in front of an independent chair. The racist language used by this officer was appalling and this outcome yet again shows that we will take a zero- tolerance approach to racism within our force.
“Our approach to calling out and tackling racism head on sends out a clear message to our colleagues and the communities of the high standards which we expect and are essential in building trust and confidence in our communities.
“The public rightly have high expectations of our officers and Merseyside Police is committed to ensuring we meet those expectations.
"So when information is received about those alleged to have fallen below those standards in any way, our dedicated Professional Standards Department will always carry out a thorough investigation to ensure the public across Merseyside can continue to have confidence in the Police Service.
“The overwhelming majority of our police officers and staff act with respect, professionalism and integrity at all times. We want to keep it that way, and will continue to take swift and robust action to investigate anyone whose behaviour falls short of those high standards.”