By James Simons-
A London police officer has been sacked for using a racial slur on WhatsApp.
Harry Chandler, part of the Metropolitan Police’s north east command unit, was dismissed for sending a message to a colleague containing “offensive and racially derogatory words”.
The slur was revealed after an investigation into the sharing of photographs of the murder scene of sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in Wembley in June 2020.
PC Chandler’s dismissal was handed down without notice following a misconduct hearing, which concluded on Friday .
Investigators searched a phone belonging to a colleague of PC Harry Chandler, and found he had used the slur in a WhatsApp chat discussing which area of London to rent a flat in.
The IOPC said PC Chandler, who was based at the Met’s North East Borough Command police station, had been dismissed without notice after allegations of gross misconduct were proven at a disciplinary hearing which concluded on Friday.
The independently chaired disciplinary panel found the case proven that he had breached the standards of professional behaviour relating to equality and diversity, and had shown discreditable conduct, the IOPC said.
PC Chandler, who admitted the allegation, will also be placed on the barred list preventing him from future employment within the police service.
The former Met officers Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for taking and sharing photos of the bodies of Smallman and Henry.
PC Chandler’s messages were found on a phone that belonged to Lewis.
Graham Beesley, the IOPC’s regional director, said: “PC Chandler’s offensive use of language in his WhatsApp messages came to light while we investigated the photographs taken at the scene of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry’s murders, by former Met officers Jamie Lewis and Deniz Jaffer.
“His dismissal today sends a clear message that the use of offensive language, whether on or off duty, is wholly unacceptable.”
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Metropolitan police
The Eye Of Media.Com has asked both the Met Police and the IOPC for details of the offensive messages posted on the whassap group of the polic eofficers, after it was revealed that obscene messages had been detected on there.
Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Tucker, who leads the north east command unit, said: “Using language of this nature is utterly unacceptable and will not be tolerated. PC Chandler has rightly been held to account for his actions.”
The panel found all the allegations proven, which amounted to a breach of the force’s standards on conduct, equality and diversity.
The details of other obscene messages on the whassp group are yet to be be made known.