Police officers told no prosecution after 'monkey' WhatsApp chat
Three police officers who were accused of racism over ‘monkey’ WhatsApp posts under meme of black actor will not face prosecution
- Three Cambridgeshire Constabulary officers were under investigation
- They had put meme of actor Kayode Ewumi and a monkey picture in WhatsApp
- But one officer took offence and made a complaint to their superiors
Three police officers, including one who posted a monkey picture message in WhatsApp under a meme of a black British actor, will not be prosecuted for malicious communications.
The trio had been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by their own Cambridgeshire Constabulary over the exchange which featured the gif of Kayode Ewumi.
An animated picture of him in character as Roll Safe in the comedy #HoodDocumentary tapping the side of his head is a widely-shared meme used to illustrate the act of thinking about something.
But one officer in the private Peterborough Police team WhatsApp chat wrote the word ‘monkey’ below it, together with a picture of a baby primate hanging from a tree, before another added ‘lol’.
The May 2020 messages came through to all members, including one ethnic minority officer whose three children saw them and he made an official complaint.
Gif of Kayode Ewumi playing character Roll Safe is a well-known meme and was put in group
Cambridgeshire Constabulary referred its own officers to the CPS to consider any charges
It sparked a professional standards department investigation which saw the police officers either suspended or placed on restricted duties and a file sent to the CPS to consider.
Today the suspension was lifted after a senior prosecutor and hate crime specialist said no further action should be taken.
A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Constabulary said: “In early May 2020 a complaint was made about an allegedly racist exchange on WhatsApp between officers in Peterborough.
‘Following this complaint, a referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct who directed an investigation should be conducted by our professional standards department.
The exchange was featured on the private WhatsApp phone application in a police group chat
‘Two officers were placed on restricted duties and a third suspended while a thorough investigation took place. A file was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service seeking authorisation to charge the officers with malicious communications.
‘This file was reviewed by a senior prosecutor and a hate crime specialist who, with the entire history of the group conversation available, concluded that no further action should be taken. In light of this decision, gross misconduct proceedings were reduced to misconduct and the suspension was lifted.
Attiq Malik of Liberty Law Solicitors, who is representing the officer who said he believed the exchanges were racist and made a complaint, described the result as ‘disappointing’.
He told the Guardian: ‘Even if the CPS has taken the decision not to prosecute it doesn’t automatically follow that gross misconduct proceedings against police officers should be changed to misconduct proceedings.’
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