Gwent Police: New messages reveal more misconduct allegations

Gwent Police is being investigated by Wiltshire police after phone messages from an ex-officer suggested a "toxic culture"

The Welsh secretary has said he is "appalled" following fresh allegations of misconduct within a police force.

Conservative MP David TC Davies, said the activities reported by the Sunday Times, if proved, are "unacceptable".

The report revealed new findings of misogyny, racism, homophobia and corruption within Gwent Police, including among serving officers.

It comes after an initial probe was sparked by messages found on the phone of officer Ricky Jones after his death.

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Speaking on Sunday's BBC Politics Wales programme, Mr Davies, MP for Monmouthshire and a former police officer, said: "As somebody who spent nine years serving as a police officer I'm absolutely appalled by it. I didn't see behaviour like that myself, although I was in a different force.

"But I know [Chief Constable] Pam Kelly well, and I know that she will be absolutely appalled by the alleged behaviour and she will be fully investigating. In fact she's confirmed that she's doing so and rightly so."

David TC Davies says he is "appalled" over the allegations against some Gwent Police officers

Mr Davies added that "there are individuals letting the force down" and "the majority of police officers do a very good job in difficult circumstances, and are as angry as we are".

The Sunday Times report revealed messages including jokes between serving and retired officers about sexual predator Jimmy Savile; a video of a woman stripping; leaked nude images; and an officer saying a colleague carried a "sex kit" in the boot of his car.

In one message, a retired officer reportedly referred to a female officer and said: "I actually got her to lift her skirt in Cardiff once."

'Swift and robust action'

Ruth Jones, Labour MP for Newport West, said the situation "continued to appal".

She added: "We need to be able to trust officers to police fairly and without discrimination, and at the moment we're in real danger of trust being irrevocably lost between the public and police force."

Ms Jones added that the force had "serious questions to answer" and supported calls for a national inquiry.

"We need to leave no stone left unturned," she said.

Newport West MP Ruth Jones says Gwent Police "cannot afford to let the public trust be broken in this way".

Chief Constable Pam Kelly said: "The initial complaint raised by the Jones family did not include the conduct matters now emerging and, as new issues come to light, we will continue to take swift and robust action."

She said the force "will not tolerate" such behaviour, adding: "We continue to be horrified by the comments and material shared by retired officers and a small number of serving officers.

"These behaviours and attitudes have no place in Gwent Police and we will continue our ongoing work with our colleagues to set out clear expectations around the standards that both we and the public expect."

The Police Federation of Wales and England admitted the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IPOC) investigation could be "horrendously slow".

But Nicky Ryan, the federation's Welsh lead told Radio Wales Breakfast: "It must be done expeditiously. That's the only way the public's confidence can be restored."

She added: "From our point of view, we want any individuals found responsible out of the force as much as anyone else."

Messages found on the phone of dead Gwent Police officer Ricky Jones have sparked an investigation into the force

The Welsh government has previously said it would consider a national inquiry into the allegations.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Police forces must root out officers and staff who do not meet acceptable standards of behaviour to restore the public's trust, which has been shattered by recent high-profile events.

"The Home Office plays an active role in pushing for changes, including by establishing the Angiolini Inquiry [following the murder of Sarah Everard in London] which is looking at issues around police culture and the safety of women, as well as announcing a targeted review of police dismissals to ensure the system can remove officers who are not fit to serve."