Six Greater Manchester police officers disciplined for ‘abhorrent and racist’ WhatsApp group

Six police officers have been disciplined, with three leaving the job, for belonging to a racist and ableist WhatsApp group called “The Dispensables”.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation into the group of Greater Manchester Police officers during an inquiry into PC Aaron Jones for supplying steroids.

They found the “abhorrent” WhatsApp group on his phone which had a number of police officers as members.

An IOPC spokesman said: “During our investigation into the officers’ communication, we analysed messages that referenced drug use and found some containing derogatory comments which did not appear to be challenged by any of the officers within the group.

"Examples included racist comments about people attending a festival celebrating Eid in Manchester, ableist comments about people with autism and photos shared of medication which appeared to be steroids."

A disciplinary hearing has found gross misconduct proven against Pc Rebekah Kelly, while former PC Ashley Feest and PC Graham Atkinson admitted breaching the standards of behaviour, also at the level of gross misconduct.

The IOPC spokesman said: "The panel ruled that former PC Feest would have been dismissed without notice, had he not already resigned, and PC Kelly has been dismissed without notice.

"They will both be added onto the College of Policing’s barred list, which prohibits them from working within policing. PC Atkinson received a final written warning."

PC Jones was sacked in December 2022 after a misconduct hearing found he had offered to supply steroids in January 2019.

He had already been sentenced to a 12-month community order and 80 hours unpaid work in June 2022 after admitting two counts of offering to supply Class C drugs.

A written warning was given to another member of the WhatsApp group while management advice was given to the sixth officer disciplined as part of the investigation.

IOPC regional director Catherine Bates said: "The messages in this WhatsApp group were inexcusable and abhorrent.

"Messages sent via WhatsApp and on any form of social media cannot be a hiding place for officers with these types of views.

"Behaviour of this nature seriously undermines public confidence in policing. It is part of our role, and for police forces themselves, to ensure that it is rooted out and those responsible are held to account for their actions.

"The outcome sends a clear message that the use and failure to challenge offensive language is wholly unacceptable."

Three other officers were cleared of wrongdoing, the IOPC said.

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