Dorset police commissioner slams PCs sacked over 'toxic' messages

Dorset PCC David Sidwick said there was "no place" for racist, sexist and homophobic officers

Police officers sacked and disciplined for sharing offensive WhatsApp messages were appropriately punished, a police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said.

A Dorset officer was sacked last month and his former colleague barred from policing over racist, sexist and homophobic messages on a group chat.

Dorset PCC David Sidwick said there was "no place" for this type of behaviour.

He said the PCs let down the public and urged people to report "any experiences of wrong-doing" by officers.

Constables Mark Jordan-Gill and Paul Perdrisat, who were based in Bournemouth, were found guilty of gross misconduct by a police tribunal after the panel heard evidence of their "toxic" group conversations.

Mr Jordan-Gill was dismissed without notice while Mr Perdrisat was told he would have been dismissed if he had not already resigned.

PC Mark Jordan-Gill was fired following a disciplinary hearing

Speaking at the county's police and crime panel meeting, Mr Sidwick said: "There is no place in Dorset Police for anybody who is racist, sexist or homophobic: I expect, as the Dorset public do, that Dorset Police officers are held to the highest standard."

He said he welcomed "the clear leadership" shown by the force over the investigation and disciplinary hearings, as well as the apology offered by the deputy chief constable to the public.

Mr Sidwick said he had sought reassurances from the chief constable on the vetting of new recruits and officers being transferred to the Dorset force and has also asked for force-issued IT equipment to be monitored, with software now in place to do so.

"While the chief constable and I will be everything we can to stop similar cases arising in the future... because human beings are flawed there will always be some who have biases and prejudices," he added.

"As we go forward I am satisfied that whatever may come we will dealt with correctly for the people of Dorset."

The meeting heard that in the past three months no Dorset officers, or other staff members, had failed the re-vetting process that forces across the country had been undertaking.

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