Six former Metropolitan Police officers have been charged with sending offensive racist messages on What’s App
The officers, who retired between 2001 and 2015, have been charged by post with offences under Section 127(1) (a) of the Communications Act 2003.
They will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 7 September.
The charges follow an investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards which was launched following coverage by the BBC’s Newsnight programme in October last year
Some of the posts referenced the government’s Rwanda policy, while others joked about recent flooding in Pakistan, which left almost 1,700 people dead.One was also alleged to be concerning the Duchess of Sussex
A first arrest was made within hours of the allegations being passed to the Met by the BBC and enquiries have continued since.
As a result of the investigation, it was established that from August 2018 until September 2022, inappropriate communications were share within a closed WhatsApp group.
The six men charged were not serving at any point during their participation in the group.
They served in various parts of the Met throughout their careers but all spent time in the Diplomatic Protection Group, now known as the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
Commander James Harman, who leads the Met’s Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said: “As soon as we were made aware of these allegations we acted to launch an investigation. I am pleased that following the determined work of officers we have been able to secure these charges.
“We are working relentlessly to rebuild the trust of the public which has understandably been dented by a number of high profile incidents and investigations in recent years which have involved officers or former officers.
“The honest majority of Met officers are fully behind this work. They are tired of being let down by a minority in policing and they are aware of the damage poor behaviour can do to our relationship with the communities we serve.
“I recognise announcements about the outcome of our investigations may have the potential to cause further public concern, but I hope it demonstrates our absolute commitment to investigate any corrupt and abusive behaviour from the Met.
“I hope the public will recognise that we are determined to take the necessary measures to investigate any wrongdoing wherever we find it.”
