South Yorkshire PC Owen Davies sacked for sharing custody images on WhatsApp

A South Yorkshire Police officer has been sacked for sharing images of people in custody on WhatsApp with "inappropriate and derogatory comments".

PC Owen Davies sent images using his personal phone to current and former colleagues.

Analysis of his mobile revealed he shared details of a hate crime report, personal details about someone convicted of a crime and an image, taken from a body-cam, of an officer with an unknown woman.

Following a referral from South Yorkshire Police, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began an independent 16-month investigation ending in February 2022.

An independently chaired panel found a charge of gross misconduct proven.

An IOPC spokesperson said: "We found the officer may have breached the standards of professional behaviour in respect of his confidentiality, integrity, and conduct."

IOPC Regional Director Emily Barry said: “PC Davies showed appalling judgement and a complete disregard of the policy and procedures in relation to how he shared confidential policing material.

“PC Davies’s decisions to disclose images of suspects connected to serious criminal offences not only breached the applicable policies and procedures but could have undermined ongoing criminal investigations.“

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.