We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Two officers from the Metropolitan Police and one from each of the forces in Sussex, Dorset and Avon and Somerset will be subject to misconduct proceedings, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said. IOPC regional director Sal Naseem warned the alleged offences risked to “further undermine public confidence in policing”.

He said: “In April this year we warned about the unacceptable use of social media by officers based on a number of cases involving the posting of offensive and inappropriate material.

“We wrote to the National Police Chiefs Council, asking them to remind forces and officers of their obligations under the police Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Behaviour.

“The allegations involved in these two investigations, if proven, have the capacity to further undermine public confidence in policing.

“They also once more illustrate the potential consequences for officers and come at a time when policing standards and culture have never been more firmly in the spotlight.”

Former Met Police officer Wayne Couzens is serving a whole-life sentence after kidnapping, raping and murdering Everard, 33.

Couzens used his police warrant card and handcuffs to snatch the marketing executive as she walked home from a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, on the evening of March 3.

The IOPC said a Met Police constable on probation, who went on to staff a cordon as part of the search for Everard in March, faces a misconduct hearing over allegations they used WhatsApp “to share with colleagues an inappropriate graphic, depicting violence against women” while off-duty.

Another officer still on probation will also be subject to a misconduct hearing for “allegedly sharing the graphic and failing to challenge it”.

In a second investigation, the IOPC looked into allegations seven officers from other forces breached standards by using the encrypted messaging app Signal to share information on Couzens’ prosecution.

An officer from Dorset Police, who was on secondment from the force, will face a gross misconduct hearing after being accused of posting details of the interview Couzens gave under caution – several months before the killer admitted to her murder.

The investigation indicated officers from other forces had “joined in the conversation, endorsing comments made by others and making unprofessional remarks about Couzens”, the watchdog added.

As a result, an officer from Avon and Somerset Constabulary will face a misconduct hearing.

Another officer, who was on secondment from the Sussex force, will also “undergo the reflective practice review process in respect of one of the messages that had been sent and the tone of conversation” after it was found misconduct was “not proven” at a meeting.

The IOPC said it found there was no case to answer against a further four officers who were members of the chat group.

Meanwhile, the watchdog has said it will continue to look into the conduct of five other officers from three forces and one former officer, over allegations they sent “discriminatory messages” two years ago.

DON’T MISS

Brexit: Boris could be set to compromise with EU over ECJ role [INSIGHT]
Royal Family LIVE: US fury as Queen urged to strip Meghan’s title [LIVE]
BBC Weather: UK chill continues as temperatures drop close to freezing [FORECAST]

The allegations relate to WhatsApp messages sent between March and October 2019 after the information was recovered from an old mobile phone found during the police probe into Everard’s murder.

The IOPC is also still looking into how Kent Police in 2015, and the Met this year, handled allegations of indecent exposure which have been linked to Couzens.

The Met Police has confirmed it will be carrying out an urgent examination of all ongoing sexual and domestic abuse allegations against officers and staff alongside its own independent review of the force’s standards and culture.

Home Secretary Priti Patal has also launched an inquiry to look into “systematic failures”.

On Wednesday, Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick confirmed a number of safeguarding measures would be introduced, including the need for plain-clothes officers to video call a uniformed colleague to confirm their identity when stopping a lone woman.

Source: Read Full Article