Officer dismissed over objectionable WhatsApp messages

Five serving police officers have been sacked and three former colleagues say they may have been sacked over a WhatsApp group containing “routine misogyny” and “casual racism”.

The West Yorkshire-based officers were fired after being found guilty of gross misconduct over “abusive, offensive and discriminatory” messages posted to the group.

The misconduct hearing heard that he also shared photographs of “death scenes”, car accidents, missing people and detainees.

The disciplinary panel dismissed serving officers Sergeant Mark Otter, PC Dominic Hawkins, PC Javed Habib, PC Luke Riddett and an officer known only as PC X.

He ruled that three other former constables – Tom Harrison, Matthew Harrison and Lee Hilliard – would also have been dismissed had they not already resigned.

All eight had denied gross misconduct between July 2020 and September 2021.

The hearing was told that the group used by some officers based in Pudsey was characterized by “mean and threatening comments about colleagues and members of the public”.

Setting out the case against the officers at the start of the hearing in October, the barrister, Olivia Cheka-Dover, gave the panel a series of examples from WhatsApp chats.

He said that, when discussing a member of the public called Miss A, PC X posted: “Miss A on the bridge… jump, jump, jump.”

And he said PC Habib had joked about a colleague taking his own life.

Ms Cheka-Dover said PC Riddett posted a photo of an Asian detainee with a beard with the caption “If you have to draw a terrorist”, to which PC Tom Harrison replied “racist”.

Ms Cheka-Dover, representing the policing authority, said abusive messages were exchanged about posted photographs of an officer, referred to as PC A, and his sister.

The barrister told the panel: “Was this a safe space for colleagues to seek support and provide support from their peers, or was this a safe space for communicating mean, bullying comments about colleagues who are not considered part of the group? Was the platform used for?”

He said that, in a conversation with a member of the public complaining about an “insecure appointment”, PC Ridgett said he was “probably asking for it anyway”, with the barrister telling the panel it was “inappropriate, “Victim-blaming remarks”.

Ms Cheka-Dover said that in a conversation about “Naked Uno” Sergeant Otter made derogatory and offensive comments of a sexual nature about two people.

He said PC Ridette wrote in the chat: “If they say yes it’s not harassment. Remember guys, 50 nos and a yes is still a yes.”

Ms Cheka-Dover said the officers did not deny their participation in the WhatsApp group, but argued that it was “an expression of dark humour, a medium through which they would process traumatic experiences, a forum in which to express themselves Can express freely, seek support from their colleagues and provide assistance to others”.

Det Ch Superintendent Tanya Wilkins, head of West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “This misconduct hearing looked at not only the actions of this group, but also their inaction.

“The lack of challenge and complicity of a supervisor involved in these conversations has allowed a culture of routine misogyny, casual racism and bullying to develop within this team.”

Emily Barrie, regional director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct, said: “The abusive behavior and attitudes we found in these messages is completely unacceptable and has no place in policing.

“Our investigation has ensured that those responsible receive serious sanctions – and that the worst offenders will never wear a uniform again.”

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