Content found on mobile phone - Metropolitan Police Service, January 2018

In June 2016, during a criminal investigation conducted by Surrey Police, a phone was seized from a suspect. A forensic examination of the phone determined it had previously belonged to a Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officer and contained potential inappropriate content. Surrey Police referred the matter to the MPS Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) who, in January 2018 after Surrey Police’s criminal investigation collapsed, voluntarily referred the matter to the IOPC for independent investigation.

Our investigators arranged for a further forensic download of the phone, and identified the following conduct dating between 2009 and 2011:

One officer appeared to have filmed and audio recorded members of the public whilst on duty, without their knowledge or consent. On one occasion, he appeared to have used such a recording to defend himself against a complaint which was dealt with by a senior officer who did not challenge or report his use of his personal phone in such a manner. He also appeared to have attempted to develop a personal relationship with a vulnerable victim of crime and requested another colleague access her crime report for a non-policing purpose. As the owner of the mobile phone, he also appeared to have failed to challenge or report inappropriate messages he received from four other officers, instead either engaging with them or ignoring them.

A second officer exchanged text messages with the first officer in which he said he may be arrested for “rape or murder” of a woman that evening, and suggested that they arrange to have sex with a victim of crime together the next time they were on night duty, referring to the victim as a slag and a bitch. He suggested informing the victim of crime that they would only report her allegation in exchange for a sexual act.

A third officer exchanged text messages with the first officer in which he suggested getting a woman so drunk that she would have sex with them both. Both the officers referred to the woman as a slut. The first officer also referred to her as a whore.

A fourth officer sent the first officer text messages which he described as ‘jokes’ which appeared discriminatory in nature, in relation to race, disability, and rape. He also exchanged text messages with the first officer discussing white football players and whether “a massive epidemic of sick cell” would affect the football team he supported.

A fifth officer sent the first officer text messages which he described as ‘jokes’ which appeared discriminatory in nature, in relation to race, disability and sexual orientation.

Our investigation concluded in June 2019 after which it was agreed with the MPS that the five officers would go before a gross misconduct hearing. The hearing took place in November 2020, where an independent panel found that officers one, four and fives’ conduct was assessed as gross misconduct and they received final written warnings while officers two and threes’ conduct was assessed as misconduct and they received written warnings.

Another officer was found to have a case to answer for misconduct in November 2018 and received management action. This was the supervising officer that failed to challenge and report one of the recordings made by the first officer.