British-Indian Constable Fired Over Offensive WhatsApp Messages

Two police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department have been fired after sending offensive messages on a WhatsApp groupchat, including racist jokes about Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. 

Police Constables Sukhdev Jeer and Paul Hefford, who worked in a unit at Bethnal Green police station in east London, posted inappropriate, and “abhorrent and discriminatory” content on WhatsApp in 2018.

Their actions amounted to gross misconduct, a tribunal decided on Friday, meaning they must be dismissed from the force. They were also faced allegations of failing to report or challenge other members of the group who also partook in sending offensive messages.

The hearing at the Empress State Building, in west London, heard the posts, including one comparing Meghan to a “golliwog”, were “discriminatory and serious in nature”.

“These vile messages were shared in 2018 within a closed WhatsApp group between a small group of officers. I hardly need to say it is completely unacceptable for anyone, let alone a police officer, to behave in such a manner. The actions of these three are inexcusable,” said Commander Jon Savell, Professional Standards.

 “The whole of the Met is focused on rooting out anyone who displays this type of behaviour and lets down the Met and the public we serve. Behaviour like this will absolutely not be tolerated and we are driving that message home to our officers and staff at every opportunity,” he said. 

Both PCs, Jeer and Hefford, will be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing, which will prevent them from every being employed by any state policing or security body in the UK. This includes local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct or Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. 

The messages came to light when another former officer, Richard Hammond’s phone was examined as part of an unrelated criminal investigation. He was dismissed without notice in October 2021 following his conviction for perverting the course of justice. 

Ben Summers, a barrister, argued that PC Jeer should not be dismissed over a "handful of inappropriate jokes" which caused "limited harm". Meanwhile, Michael Shaw, representing PC Hefford, said the officer found his posts "embarrassing and difficult" and has learned a "sad lesson".

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