PSNI officers exchange sexist and pornographic messages, Spotlight reveals

A WhatsApp group in which serving police officers exchanged sexist, pornographic and racist messages has been exposed by BBC NI Spotlight.

More than 20 PSNI officers belonged to the group, which used abusive language about senior female officers.

Images of sex toys were photoshopped on to the faces of female colleagues.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne told Spotlight the type of messages displayed in the WhatsApp group were "wholly unacceptable".

Former police ombudsman Baroness Nuala O'Loan, who examined some of the messages, said they raised wider concerns about police culture.

"The cumulative effect of those WhatsApp messages is to suggest a group of people who are out of control, who think that they can do or say anything they want to say, and that is really not acceptable," she said.

The messages were exposed after two whistleblowers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) began looking into alleged performance failings in the Causeway Coast and Glens policing district in early 2020, at the start of the Covid pandemic.

PC John O'Connor and temporary Ch Insp Donna Bowden initially uncovered evidence of slack behaviour among one group of officers.

"Domestics weren't being attended to for an hour and a half," said PC O'Connor, who has been a police officer for almost 18 years.

"I started to realise very, very quickly that people just weren't attending calls at all.

"It became almost like a summer camp when Covid hit.

"There were officers sleeping on duty, there was officers bringing camp beds to work, they were bringing sleeping bags, they were setting up the briefing room to be a cinema, were going out and getting popcorn so they could all watch a movie on night shift instead of patrolling.

"I kept raising the fact that drug dealing didn't change in Covid. People still wanted to commit crime."

'Position of power'

Spotlight wrote to some officers alleged to have performance failings.

A solicitor responded, saying that because of ongoing internal investigations the officers were not at liberty to comment.

Weeks after PC O'Connor and temporary Ch Insp Bowden reported their findings about colleagues, they found themselves subject to internal complaints and moved to other duties.

While defending themselves, they discovered the WhatsApp group and its shocking contents.

BBC NI Spotlight examined hundreds of messages that were sent over an 11-month period.

They included messages that mocked Arabic and Islamic people and linked the success of senior female officers to the performance of sexual acts.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne said investigations were ongoing

Retired Dep Ch Con Judith Gillespie, the most senior woman to have served in the PSNI, said she was sickened by the messages and shocked that other officers in the WhatsApp group tolerated them.

"Would you want a police officer who displays this attitude to be in a position of power over your daughter? Your daughter, your sister, your mother, your wife, your partner, your friend?

"Would you really want that because that's the key question here. It goes to the heart of public confidence in policing."

'Misogynistic traits'

Spotlight revealed the PSNI have assessed 12 officers for their involvement in the group.

Three male officers are currently under investigation for gross misconduct as a result of the WhatsApp thread, and two female officers are being investigated for misconduct.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne said because those investigations were ongoing, the law and principles of fairness constrain what he could say.

"However, I wish to make it absolutely clear that WhatsApp messages (or communications of any kind, whether digital or oral), which display traits inconsistent with the Code of Ethics' commitment to integrity, equality and diversity are wholly unacceptable," he said.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, police officers or staff members who display any discriminatory or misogynistic traits can expect to be subject to robust investigation by PSD [Professional Standards Department] and prosecution, where relevant, for misconduct."

The WhatsApp group was first reported to the PSNI two years ago.

Mr Byrne said he accepted criticism about delays, saying it undermines public confidence.

He said he has proposed reforming police misconduct hearings in Northern Ireland by replacing senior police officers with "legally-qualified chairs", who could speed up proceedings and increase public confidence in the independence of decisions.

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI), which represents PSNI officers, said it viewed the allegations made in the Spotlight programme "with the utmost seriousness".

It said that inappropriate internal conduct and behaviour by police officers that potentially breaches the PSNI's code of ethics "should be reported without delay to the PSNI's Professional Standards Department for investigation" and "thoroughly and objectively investigated".

"The PFNI has consistently made clear its commitment to a workplace free of misogyny, sexism, bullying and sectarianism."

Policing Board chair Doug Garrett said the board had had a series of recent discussions with the chief constable and his leadership team on professional standards, ethics and culture within the service with assurances sought that the policies and procedures in place are robust in dealing with inappropriate behaviours and actions.

"The board expects all police officers and police staff to act professionally and ethically in the delivery of their duties, and that those ethics apply both on and off duty, on and off line. This is central to confidence in the service and those delivering that service.

"The board had already agreed to bring extra scrutiny and focus to this area. With Board reconstitution now confirmed, members will be able to question the chief constable on issues raised in the programme in the coming weeks."

Spotlight's Police, WhatsApp & Whistleblowers will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer