A series of Nottinghamshire Police WhatsApp messages laced with misogyny have been exposed, revealing a culture that will shock any woman. The inappropriate chats were held over a period of time between serving officers, Nottinghamshire Live understands, and come at a time when policing standards across the UK have fallen under increased scrutiny.
Nottinghamshire Police has clarified a criminal investigation into these messages concluded in July 2022, adding the force does "not tolerate this kind of behaviour". One officer has since been dismissed while two others were dealt with by disciplinary sanctions. Other police officers involved were given management advice, Nottinghamshire Police said.
The content, seen by Nottinghamshire Live, includes tasteless remarks about women in general, with some offensive and sexual messages made about fellow female officers. One conversation in particular made reference to someone who is understood to be an officer’s daughter, suggesting to a member of the group that they "should have an affair with X's daughter Y".
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The message continued with "Imagine the bum chin on that baby!" alongside a peach emoji. But this is not the only message in which sexually explicit language was used.
In another conversation between officers, one messaged: "Here we have some footage of PC X and an unknown female officer from his latest police assault case." To which another replied with "Female cops just tickling his ankle. F***ing liability.
"Anyone gets any of my boys round the neck, their heads will be a different shape by the time I finish with them", he added. Another officer contributed to the conversation with: "Bit embarrassing, just spray him and kick him in the b***s.
"You need heart to be a cop and some don't have it. Recruitment issue?"
Another conversation about a new female colleague joining the team saw her described by one of the male officers as 'rotund'. A reply from a different officer in the group used the aubergine emoji to react to the news.
An officer added: "She's a pretty but rotund PCSO. Joining X's shift soon as a [cop].
"She is always off sick with anxiety and other minor ailments. Good luck with that X."
But X replied: "Yeah done my best to get rid no luck yet. Sorta glad Y won't be looking over my shoulder when I'm telling her how it is."
Another conversation related to a fellow female officer who they said lied about being assaulted by her partner, also an officer. "She is scared she made it up", said one of the officers.
The group contained only officers and appeared to have been set up to share experiences and messages about their jobs. On occasions, they use suggestive emojis and offensive language.
In another conversation, an officer commented "Just been to the gym and had an eyeful of X soo it's not all bad" to which another officer replied with "It is more than an eyeful with her (tongue emoji)".
The messages come as attitudes, standards and culture of police forces across the country have come under the spotlight, in particular at the Metropolitan Police.
Serving Met officer Wayne Couzens was jailed for the brutal kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard in September 2021. He used his position and the trust placed in police officers to lure her to her death in Clapham, London, in March 2021.
Following the conclusion of criminal proceedings, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) conducted an investigation after a download of Couzens’ phone, which revealed evidence of a Whatsapp group involving six other MPS officers where messages were exchanged. These included racist and homophobic comments, and derogatory remarks aimed at domestic abuse victims, people with disabilities and women, the IOPC said. As a result of the investigation, in September 2022, former MPS officers Joel Borders and Jonathan Cobban were convicted of offences under the Communications Act 2003 and received prison sentences.
In December 2022, Borders and Cobban, and four other serving or former officers also faced gross misconduct proceedings in relation to the messages, resulting in dismissal rulings for all six who are now barred from policing. "Our findings informed our wider work on cultural issues within policing and the use of WhatsApp", the IOPC summary concluded.
Baroness Louise Casey was commissioned by the Met Police shortly after the Sarah Everard case to investigate attitudes in the force. She found evidence of racism, misogyny and homophobia and warned there could be more officers like Wayne Couzens. Her review, published in March this year, warned of a ‘boy’s club’ culture in the force.
Last year in March, a Police and Crime Survey showed public confidence in Nottinghamshire Police dropped slightly following the murder of Sarah Everard, with 58.5 percent of people surveyed having confidence in the force. The concerns were raised during a Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel earlier this year, to which Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner said local officers face “tough times”.
Caroline Henry (Con), Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said at the time: “I’m talking with police officers all the time and it’s really frustrating for them when they’re working so hard to keep people safe. It’s really tough times for them and I really feel for them when they’re working so hard.”
Chief Inspector Andrew Reynolds, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “We are aware of Whatsapp screenshots currently circulating on social media concerning multiple comments made by Nottinghamshire Police officers.
“There has already been a thorough and detailed misconduct and criminal investigation into these messages which has since concluded in July 2022. As a result, we have dismissed one officer, and they no longer work for Nottinghamshire Police and are on the College of Policing barred list, so they cannot work in policing ever again.
“Two others were dealt with by disciplinary sanctions. Other officers involved were given management advice.
“I would like to make it perfectly clear that Nottinghamshire Police do not tolerate this kind of behaviour and we will thoroughly investigate any reports made to us. The vast majority of our employees maintain the highest possible professional standards which makes it all the more important we address instances where individuals’ behaviour has fallen short of these expectations.”
In response to the findings, Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, who is responsible for holding the force to account on behalf of the public, said: "Maintaining public trust and confidence is fundamental to policing, so it is vital that misconduct is proactively stamped out.
“Through my ongoing scrutiny work I have seen evidence that Nottinghamshire Police has a very strong Professional Standards Directorate which works proactively to ensure the highest possible standards of all police officers and staff. There is a robust complaints procedure in place, both internally and externally, and a well-established procedure for dealing with allegations of misconduct."
Commissioner Henry said she is satisfied that investigations are carried out "efficiently and effectively and appropriate action is taken, which in some cases can lead to officers or staff being dismissed". She continued: “The vast majority of people who work for Nottinghamshire Police join the force with a desire to proudly serve the public so it is always extremely disappointing for everyone in the organisation when individuals fall short of the standards expected.”
