Police special sacking upheld over traveller text message

A senior special police officer sacked for using racist language in a WhatsApp message has lost an appeal.

Former Chief Special Officer Tom Haye was dismissed by Hampshire Constabulary in February 2021 after he was found guilty of gross misconduct.

He admitted sending a message to a colleague in 2018 containing a derogatory term for travellers, but argued it was not racist.

The force maintained the language used was "utterly inappropriate".

Rachel Crasnow QC, chairwoman of the Police Appeals Tribunal, told the remote hearing that Mr Haye had sent the message after "he and others had been victims of rural crimes".

Announcing her decision, she said: "The chief constable reached a reasonable decision taking into account that this was a single incident.

"She didn't hear evidence from the appellant that his use of language was a slip or accident nor did she hear submissions about whether the appellant had a racist mindset."

Charles Apthorp, representing the force, said: "The use of this type of language is utterly inappropriate and casts a very long shadow over the reputation of Hampshire Constabulary."

'Reckless and unconscious'

He added that to allow Mr Haye to continue in his role would "send a message that it's acceptable in a senior level of management to use racist language in Hampshire Constabulary".

Edmund Gritt, representing Mr Haye, argued he should not have been dismissed unless it had been proven the use of the word was not just an "aberration", and that he actually had a "racist mindset".

Mr Gritt said that Mr Haye's use of the word had not been "deliberate", but had been "reckless and unconscious".

He added that Mr Haye had given "thousands of hours" of unpaid work by volunteering as a special officer for 30 years.

The hearing was told that Mr Haye had argued that he accepted that the use of the word could be interpreted as "discriminatory but not racist".

He had argued at the original discriminatory hearing that he meant to refer to "thieves", rather than travellers.