Chief constable reacts as Peterborough police officer suspended over allegations of racist social media messages

The Guardian reported that allegedly racist remarks were exchanged on a WhatsApp group under an image of the British actor and writer Kayode Ewumi.

In the exchange on the social media app one of the officers posted a meme of Ewumi, 26, which went viral in 2017 . The image shows Ewumi as his character Reece Simpson, aka Roll Safe, in the BBC Three comedy #HoodDocumentary, where he taps his finger to the side of his head having just thought of something.

Underneath the image of Ewumi, a second police officer wrote the word “monkey” then posted an image of a baby monkey hanging on to a tree branch. A third officer wrote “lol” underneath the image of the monkey.

The WhatsApp exchange was between a group of police officers who are members of an internal team in Cambridgeshire constabulary. The team mainly consists of white officers.

But one BAME officer in the team made an official complaint after receiving the messages on his family mobile phone, where it was seen by his three children.

Today a Cambridgeshire police spokesman said: “We are aware of an exchange on WhatsApp between officers in Peterborough in early May.

“A complaint was made about allegedly racist content within these messages and a referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct who directed that an investigation should be conducted by our Professional Standards Department.

“We take any allegations of this nature incredibly seriously and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We are committed to ensuring all officers and staff act with the utmost integrity and professionalism.

“Two officers have been placed on restricted duties and a third suspended whilst the investigation takes place.

“Given the ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

The investigation into the messages comes just a month after a video of a Cambridgeshire police officer in Ely came to light. The video, which dates to 2015, shows an unidentified officer telling a driver “we don’t get many young black males in this area”.

He tells the driver “no offence to you, but you’re a black male, I’m not going to lie to you”, saying that he stopped him because he did not recognise him.

When the driver suggests he has been stopped because he is black, the officer responds: “Yes, but not because I’m racist, but because in this area we have a number of people that come up to this area that are young black males that deal drugs.”

Today Chief Constable Nick Dean said: “Racism and disproportionality have been raised within policing circles for many years and various reports, reviews and recommendations have been published. Some have gained traction and resulted in some positive steps to rid racism from policing, however there is still work to do.

“I take any allegation of racism incredibly seriously and the Constabulary will not tolerate discrimination of any kind. I and my Chief officers Team are committed to ensuring all officers and staff act with the utmost integrity and professionalism at all times.”

“Reports concerning the alleged conduct of a few Cambridgeshire officers may of raised public concern. We are aware that some of these reports go back many years, whereas others are more recent. In order to ensure transparency, referrals have been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for independent review and direction. Any form of discrimination has no place within policing. These allegations relate to one or two incidents concerning a small minority of officers and the alleged conduct does not reflect the values or standards that are demonstrated every day across Cambridgeshire Constabulary.”

Acting Police and Crime Commissioner, Ray Bisby said: “I am aware of the articles circulating in the media concerning Cambridgeshire Constabulary officers whose behaviour is now under investigation.

“First and foremost, I want to reassure the public that there is no place for systemic or individual racism within the police service irrespective of where or when it takes place. Integrity and respect are the responsibility of all in policing from recruitment and training, through to everyday policing, to supporting communities, and dealing with complaints.

“It is hugely important that there are appropriate levels of scrutiny, challenge and support in place to ensure that policing principles and standards of professional behaviour are embedded in everyday policing; ones which the public can have confidence in.

“While I am satisfied that the Chief Constable has measures in place to keep our communities safe, we must never be complacent about these issues. One of my priorities as Acting Police and Crime Commissioner is to further strengthen the way in which there is independent scrutiny in place regarding matters such as integrity, equality, and complaints. Public interest in the standards of behaviour of police officers and how they apply powers remains extremely high, and there are public expectations that policing is legitimate, fair and effective.

“I will have an independent scrutiny group in place, with the aim of achieving greater transparency and community involvement, and be representative of the communities the Constabulary serves. While I have been working to finalise arrangements for the way in which this group will work, it will be empowered to provide observations and feedback which together play an important role in monitoring performance and identifying opportunities for learning for the Constabulary.

“I am aware that each case has been referred to the IOPC, therefore it would be inappropriate for me to comment however I will be kept up to date on the investigations as they progress, to ensure appropriate scrutiny by my office.”