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Two former British Transport Police (BTP) officers would have been dismissed for gross misconduct after sharing offensive and discriminatory messages in a WhatsApp group, a misconduct panel has ruled.
The decision follows an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into allegations that six officers had shared, or failed to challenge, inappropriate messages between April and August 2023. The case was referred voluntarily by BTP in October 2023.
On 12 November, the panel found that former police sergeant Trevor Waller and another former officer, referred to as Officer B, had breached standards relating to integrity; authority, respect and courtesy; equality and diversity; orders and instructions; confidentiality; discreditable conduct; and challenging and reporting improper conduct. Both would have been dismissed had they remained serving officers.
Two other officers, PC Joe Le Cappelain and former PC Jack Hunter, had previously been dismissed following an accelerated misconduct hearing in January. They were also criminally investigated under the Communications Act, though the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to bring charges. A fifth officer received a two-year final written warning in June, while a sixth faced no disciplinary action.
According to the IOPC, some of the WhatsApp messages were offensive, discriminatory and derogatory, including remarks about vulnerable members of the public experiencing mental health crises, as well as about fellow officers. Sensitive operational matters were also discussed, contrary to BTP policy. The panel said the comments “demonstrated an abject failure to treat vulnerable individuals with respect or courtesy.”
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Some of the messages uncovered in this investigation were not only unprofessional but discriminatory, and entirely inappropriate. We also found there was a failure to challenge or report inappropriate messages among the officers involved.
“The public rightly expect officers to be held to a high standard and they must be held to account when their conduct falls far short of what is acceptable.”
The investigation concluded in October 2024 after investigators reviewed screen recordings and phone downloads of the chat, interviewed the officers involved, examined relevant policies and took witness statements.
Detective Superintendent Brett Walker, Head of BTP’s Professional Standards Department, added: “The foul messages exchanged by these two former officers showed they had no respect for the public they’re supposed to serve, or indeed their colleagues.
“We expect our officers to uphold the highest standards of conduct and behaviour. These two fell far short of those expectations with their decision to send offensive malicious, disgraceful messages.
“It is only right that they would have been dismissed from the force had they still been serving. There is simply no place in policing for individuals like these.”
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