Revealed: The ‘sickening’ messages Metropolitan Police officers swapped joking about rape
Exchanges showing evidence of violent misogyny, racism and bullying later downplayed as ‘laddish banter,’ says damning report
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Metropolitan Police officers joked about hitting and raping women and killing Black children in messages later downplayed as “banter”, a damning report has revealed.
Other exchanges included references to the Holocaust, while officers also mocked disabled people, ethnic minorities and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The “sickening” messages were shared on WhatsApp and Facebook by officers mainly based at Charing Cross police station who worked on now-disbanded teams dealing with crime and disorder in Westminster.
They came to light after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation in March 2018 into allegations an officer had sex with a drunk person in a police station.
The watchdog took the unusual step of releasing extensive details of the messages, exchanged between 2016 and 2018, as it published its report on Tuesday.
Examples of the offensive messages included:
- One male officer wrote to a female officer: “I would happily rape you”, “if I was single I would actually hate f*** you” and “if I was single I would happily chloroform you”.
- A WhatsApp conversation between two police officers:
Officer 1: “And my bird won't stop taking the p***. Swear to got [sic] I'm going to smack her”
Officer 2: “Slap her one…say you didn’t”
Officer 1: “I’ll f****** do it. She’s f***** off home.”
- A separate WhatsApp conversation between two police officers:
Officer 1: “I f****** need to take my bird out, won’t see her until next Saturday. Then I have to work. Promised to take her out the Friday after. Making it up to her from when I backhanded her”
Officer 2: “Grab her by the p****”
Officer 1: “You ever slapped your missus?”
Officer 1: “It makes them love you more. Seriously since I did that she won’t leave me alone. Now I know why these daft c**** are getting murdered by their spastic boyfriends. Knock a bird about and she will love you. Human nature. They are biologically programmed to like that s***.”
Officer 2: “Lmao”
Officer 1: “I’m right though”
- One officer wrote: “Getting a woman in to bed is like spreading butter. It can be done with a bit of effort using a credit card, but it's quicker and easier just to use a knife.”
- Another officer was referred to as “mcrapey raperson” in a WhatsApp exchange. When officers on his team were asked to provide an explanation for this nickname, it was explained that there were rumours about him bringing a woman back to the police station to have sex with. An officer clarified that he thought the nickname related to “harassing them [women], getting on them, do you know what I mean being like, just a dick”.
- An officer wrote: “My dad kidnapped some African children and used them to make dog food.”
- Police officers joked about attending a festival dressed as known sex offenders and a molested child
- Homophobic language used by officers including “f*** you bender”
The IOPC said may officers downplayed the exchanges as “laddish banter” when challenged.
Of the 14 officers investigated, two were dismissed for gross misconduct and put on the barred list, preventing future employment with the police. Misconduct was proven against another two, with one officer receiving a written warning, while another four faced measures to improve their performance.
Nine are still serving in the Metropolitan Police and one of those who resigned has since returned as a contractor in a staff role.
Home secretary Priti Patel branded the officers “sickening” and said “standards must be raised” in the wake of the report.
IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said: “The behaviour we uncovered was disgraceful and fell well below the standards expected of the officers involved. While these officers predominantly worked in teams in Westminster, which have since been disbanded, we know from other recent cases that these issues are not isolated or historic.
“The learning report we are publishing today is shocking and contains language which is offensive – and some may find it upsetting. However, we felt it was important to provide the context for the public, the Met and other forces, for why such hard-hitting recommendations are necessary.”
Bas Javid, the Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner, said: “I am angry and disappointed to see officers involved in sharing sexist, racist and discriminatory messages. It’s clear we have a lot of work to do to ensure bullying and discrimination does not exist in any part of the Met.
“The actions of these officers between 2016 and 2018 were unacceptable, unprofessional, disrespectful and deeply offensive. I read their messages with increasing disgust and shame.
“We recognise that there is need for real change in the Met and we are committed to creating an environment that is even more intolerant to those who do not uphold the high values and standards expected of us.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, added: “I am utterly disgusted by the behaviour outlined in this IOPC report, which details the shocking evidence of discrimination, misogyny, harassment and bullying by police officers. The conduct of these officers was totally unacceptable and what has been revealed by these investigations will only further damage public trust and confidence in the police.”
Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick last year announced Baroness Casey to lead an independent review of culture and standards in the force following the murder of Sarah Everard by serving police officer Wayne Couzens.
There have been calls for Ms Dick resign to improve women’s confidence in the force amid accusations she has failed to tackle a culture of misogyny. The mother of murdered sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, whose bodies were photographed by Met officers in a park in west London, is among critics who have called for her to go.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments