Two Met Police officers were fired for making “abhorrent comments” in a group chat. One of these comments included a racist joke about Duchess Sussex.
The tribunal heard that PC Sukhdev Jeer (East London) and PC Paul Hefford (West London) posted the messages to WhatsApp in 2018.
They were found guilty of gross misconduct.
The messages mocked the officers who were supposed to be police, it was revealed at the hearing.
The tribunal was informed of details about several racist posts, one of which contained a racist slur regarding the Duchess Of Sussex just before she married Prince Harry.
Chairman Maurice Cohen stated that they were “highly destructive and discriminatory” towards members of the public, “including those from the local community.”
The hearing heard that the pair did not report any offensive messages received by them from other members.
Cohen stated at an earlier hearing that the postings to this group had caused serious reputational damage for the Metropolitan Police.
He said that the content had been posted for an “extended time” and that officers should have been informed of their “unacceptable nature”.
PC Jeer previously stated that he was not in a good position and that he used language to deal with “issues” he was experiencing.
Barrister Ben Summers argued that he shouldn’t be fired for “a handful of inappropriate jokes”, which caused “limited harm”; he suggested that he receive a warning rather than being fired.
Michael Shaw representing PC Hefford said that the officer found his posts “embarrassing” and was learning a “sad lesson”.
Vishal Misra, representing Met, stated: “The panel found that the postings were abhorrent, discriminatory in character and the damage it caused to public confidence was substantial and far-reaching.”
Misra said that “trust once lost cannot be easily regained”. He also added that the dismissal of the men was necessary to maintain the public’s confidence in the force.
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