South Yorkshire Police officer dismissed for sharing custody photos

South Yorkshire Police referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct

A police officer who took photos of people in custody and sent them to former colleagues has been dismissed.

PC Owen Davies, who worked for South Yorkshire Police, shared the images on WhatsApp and made offensive comments about them, the police watchdog said.

He also sent a picture from body-worn camera footage, and shared personal details about someone who had been convicted, an investigation found.

He was found to have committed gross misconduct at a hearing on Friday.

PC Davies shared images of people in cells and in hospital in a WhatsApp group on his personal phone, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found.

'Entirely inappropriate'

Investigators examined PC Davies' mobile phone for images related to police operations and discovered the photos, as well as inappropriate and derogatory comments about the people in the pictures.

They also found he had shared details about a hate crime report and an image, taken from body-worn camera footage, of an officer with an unknown woman.

PC Davies' actions "could have undermined ongoing criminal investigations", IOPC regional director Emily Barry said.

"PC Davies showed appalling judgement and a complete disregard of the policy and procedures in relation to how he shared confidential policing material. It was entirely inappropriate and risked seriously undermining public confidence in the police."

South Yorkshire Police referred the case to the IOPC.