A detective sergeant has been dismissed following an accelerated misconduct hearing held yesterday (4 March), chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Grant Wills.
The hearing found that the actions of Detective Sergeant Jonathan Cooper, 54, who was based at Hindlip, amounted to gross misconduct and seriously breached the following standards, as set out in the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020:
- Discreditable conduct
- Authority, respect and courtesy
- Equality and diversity
The hearing heard that between 26 December 2019 and 9 December 2020 the officer used his personal mobile phone to send four memes to friends, via WhatsApp, which were racist and offensive to those with physical/mental disabilities.
Following yesterday’s outcome, he will be added to the College of Policing Barred List, preventing him from working for a UK police service in the future.
The outcome of the hearing is subject to the normal appeals process.
Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Jones, said: “We expect the highest standards of our officers both on and off duty
“This case highlights that where these standards are breached, no matter how long ago, we can and will take action.
“Policing is fundamentally about keeping people safe. It is vital people from all backgrounds have trust in the police to ensure crime is reported crime or our support sought when needed.
“The actions of officers like Jonathan Cooper undermine this trust, which is something we simply won’t accept.”
