Seven former and serving BTP officers dismissed without notice - London

Seven former and serving British Transport Police officers have been dismissed without notice from the Force today (27 May) following two public misconduct hearings.  

PC James Elliot, PC Michael Lee, PC Steven Leung, PC Robert Whyte, PC Richard Wood, and former PC’s Lee Williamson and David Ford, were required to attend the misconduct hearings in London on 23 and 27 May where they answered allegations they breached the standards of professional behaviour.   

The hearing was part heard on 4 February where the independent panel found their actions amounted to gross misconduct. Following the hearings on 23 and 27 May, five of the serving officers have been dismissed without notice and the two former officers would have also been dismissed without notice should they have still been serving.  

In 2021 the officers were members of a WhatsApp chat group where they sent and received messages which were inappropriate and offensive, without challenging or reporting the messages.   

The messages were considered to: 

• Be crude and contemptuous of others. 

• Ridicule distress or injury suffered by members of the public. 

• Stereotype or ridicule protected characteristics or groups. 

• Make fun of violence against women or girls. 

• Support or make fun of putative crime or misconduct by police. 

The content of the chat was discovered by BTP in October 2023, and the matter was referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) who decided the matter would be subject to local investigation by BTP. 

Four supervisors were also part of the WhatsApp group and answered allegations they breached the standards of professional behaviour by failing to challenge or report the offensive messages sent. In each case this was assessed as misconduct and the serving officers were provided with a written warning.  

Assistant Chief Constable Charlie Doyle said: “The contents of this WhatsApp group was wholly unacceptable, with the messages exchanged both shocking and offensive in almost every way possible. 

“Those who have sent these messages have shown complete contempt for the public they serve, the office of constable and the hard-working officers and staff in BTP who come to work every day to make a difference and behave with integrity. Holding a warrant card is a privilege and anyone who thinks it is acceptable to make such comments in the name of supposed ‘banter’ quite simply has absolutely no place in policing. 

“The messages exchanged so seriously undermine public confidence and we are grateful to the independent panel for dismissing those concerned with immediate effect. As soon as we became aware of the chat, we launched a significant and complex misconduct investigation and ensured all of those involved, including the four supervisors who failed to challenge the messages, were suspended from duty. 

“All officers and staff at BTP are expected to observe the highest standards of conduct and we are absolutely committed to identifying and driving out anyone who falls short of this as we have done in this case.”