West Mercia Police officer sacked for sending offensive WhatsApp messages

A second West Mercia Police officer has been sacked from the force after he sent offensive WhatsApp messages.

Today (Tuesday 23 May) a gross misconduct hearing upheld allegations that the officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons and is known as Officer X, had conversations via social media messaging with another officer which included racist comments and images.

The conversations also included derogatory comments and discussed abhorrent violence.

Officer X’s conduct amounted to serious breaches of the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of authority, respect and courtesy; equality and diversity; and discreditable conduct.

Last week, Officer A, who Officer X engaged in the conversations with was dismissed without notice. An anonymity order previously in place for Officer A has now been lifted and he can be named as Jak Walshaw, 49. He was a sergeant based at Malinsgate Police Station.

Officer X was suspended after he had been identified as the officer involved in the conversations with Jak Walshaw.

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Jones said: “Both officers engaged in abhorrent conversations, quickly after officer X was identified as being involved he was suspended from duty. I want to reiterate my comments made after Jak Walshaw was dismissed that we will continue to root out those views do not uphold our strong values of inclusion, equality and diversity and whose behaviour has no place in policing.”

Officer X, who was a PC based in Telford, will now be added to the College of Policing Barred List, preventing him from ever working UK policing in the future.

ISSUED: EH, Corporate Communications.