Inappropriate content exchanged in messages – Greater Manchester Police, July 2019
We investigated the conduct of nine officers, which came to light as part of evidence gathered for a separate IOPC investigation.
As part of the previous investigation, a former officer’s personal mobile phone was examined. This led to the identification of a WhatsApp group with the other officers titled 'The Dispensables'.
During our investigation into the officers’ communication, we analysed messages that referenced drug use and found some containing derogatory comments which did not appear to be challenged by any of the officers within the group.
Examples included racist comments about people attending a festival celebrating Eid in Manchester; ableist comments about people with autism; and photos shared of medication which appeared to be steroids.
Our investigation concluded in March 2021. We waited for all external proceedings to conclude before publishing our findings.
Following our investigation, an independently chaired panel on Wednesday 5 April, found gross misconduct proven against one officer, while two former officers admitted breaching the standards of behaviour, also at the level of gross misconduct.
The standards breached by one officer were discreditable conduct and challenging and reporting improper conduct. The standards breached by the former officers were respect and courtesy, equality and diversity, discreditable conduct and challenging and reporting improper conduct.
The panel ruled that a former officer would have been dismissed without notice, had he not already resigned, and the serving officer was dismissed without notice.
They will both be added onto the College of Policing’s barred list, which prohibits them from working within policing. Another officer received a final written warning.
Our separate investigation into another former officer looked at allegations he had offered to supply steroids in January 2019. He was dismissed in December 2022 following a misconduct hearing organised by the force.
Prior to the hearing, the former GMP officer was sentenced to a 12-month community order and 80 hours unpaid work in June 2022 after admitting two counts of offering to supply Class C drugs.
As part of our investigation into the WhatsApp messages, two other officers were found to have a case to answer for misconduct and the force arranged misconduct meetings in August 2022.
One was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to authority, respect and courtesy; conduct; equality and diversity; and challenging and reporting improper conduct. They were given a written warning. The other officer was found to have failed to challenge or report improper conduct and received management advice.
We also investigated the conduct of three other officers, two in relation to allegations they failed to challenge or report improper conduct and one in relation to an allegation of drug use. We found they had no case to answer.
We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.
We did not identify any organisational learning.