By Tony O’Reilly-
The Metropolitan Police Force is facing severe backlash after one of its officers, PC David Seager, (pictured)based at Lewisham Police Station, was dismissed without notice following a misconduct hearing for explicitly expressing racism.
Members of the British public and indeed many around the world who will see the news on social media will be horrified by the brazen level of racism and perversion expressed by this officer.
Seager’s dismissal comes at one of the worst times for the integrity of the badly damaged force following the damning label of institutional racism following a report last year by Baroness Louise Cassey
and the recent BBC documentary about the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens- a former serving police officer in the Metropolitan force.
In Cassey’s report, she stated that the management of people is poor. The Met’s processes do not effectively root out bad officers, help to tackle mediocre officers, or truly support and develop good officers.
The hearing found Seager guilty of gross misconduct for sending graphic messages expressing his white supremacist rape fantasy to a woman he was in a sexual relationship with.
The disturbing messages, sent between February and December 2020, detailed Seager’s explicit desires to commit acts of sexual violence, including rape, forced impregnation, and slavery, within the context of white supremacy.
Assistant Commissioner Pippa Mills condemned Seager’s actions, highlighting the utter disregard for the woman’s welfare and the racially motivated domination evident in the messages.
During the misconduct hearing, Seager attempted to downplay the severity of his actions, dismissing the messages as “risqué” and arguing for his right to privacy.
However, his defense fell short as the panel also heard that Seager shared naked images of the woman without her consent, further exacerbating the violation of her privacy and dignity.
Of particular concern was Seager’s expressed desire to damage the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), which Assistant Commissioner Mills deemed tantamount to blackmail.
Seager’s callous disregard for the integrity of the force and his willingness to inflict harm for personal gain underscored the severity of his misconduct.
This incident marks the second misconduct hearing Seager has faced in a matter of weeks, raising serious questions about the culture and accountability within the police force.
In a previous incident, Seager received a final written warning for making inappropriate sexual comments to a junior colleague, further highlighting a pattern of unacceptable behavior.
Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, lead for policing in the area, condemned Seager’s actions as grossly offensive and emphasized the harm caused to the woman. Lawry reiterated the Met’s commitment to upholding high standards and promptly removing individuals who fail to meet them.
The repercussions of Seager’s actions extend beyond his dismissal, casting a shadow over the integrity of the Metropolitan Police Force and reinforcing the urgent need for greater accountability and cultural reform within law enforcement agencies.
In the last two year’s multiple officers in the Metropolitan police force were dismissed and sentenced for circulating racist Whassap messages in which they clearly uttered racist language against their colleagues, Meghan Markle, and in one case, the son of Katie Price.
This week, a Freedom of Information Request revealed that 119 police officers had been convicted for rape, sexual assaults, and coercive and controlling behaviour in the past three years.
The figures were not an accurate representation of the full scale of the problem because not less than half of the forces approached responded to the request.