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Met Police officers accused of racist comments about white people
Twenty-two Metropolitan Police officers in the East Area command have been served disciplinary notices and placed on restricted duties after an inquiry into a large WhatsApp group. The investigation matters because it concerns alleged racist, sexist and unprofessional messages, as well as the treatment of vulnerable people and those in custody.
The Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has seized about 40,000 messages, and the inquiry could affect up to 30 personnel, from constables to inspectors. Allegations include a Muslim officer referring to “white trash”; he is said to deny racist intent. The Met says there is currently no indication the conduct meets the criminal threshold, while the investigation reportedly began after a sexist message was alleged to have been sent to a female colleague.
In short
- Twenty-two Met officers face disciplinary notices and restricted duties.
- Investigators seized about 40,000 WhatsApp messages.
- The Met says no criminal threshold has been indicated so far.
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The case for
Those arguing the alleged comments were racist would say that describing white people as “trash” can demean people on the basis of race, regardless of the speaker’s own background or claimed intent. Police officers hold public power, so messages that appear discriminatory or contemptuous may reasonably raise concerns about impartiality, workplace culture and the treatment of the public, particularly vulnerable people and those in custody.
The case against
Those urging caution would stress that the allegation is still under investigation and that the officer reportedly denies racist intent; a quoted phrase alone may not establish its context or meaning. They would distinguish conduct that is offensive or unprofessional from conduct that meets a disciplinary or criminal definition of racism, and argue that fair process requires conclusions to follow the full review of the messages rather than the accusation alone.