Indian-origin UK cop dismissed over racist jibe about Meghan Markle
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (file photo)
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Two Scotland Yard officers including an Indian-origin cop were dismissed from service without notice for making racist remarks about Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
They are also proven to engage in highly offensive and discriminatory behaviour on social media for a year. Police Constable (PC) Sukhdev Jeer and PC Paul Hefford were facing a misconduct hearing which ended this week.
They will now be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing. Both Jeer and Hefford will not be employed by police, local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct, or Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
After the examination of exchanges spanning a year, the allegations against them of vile messages were proven. Details of many racist posts were proven during the tribunal hearing. The racist slur about Meghan Markle was made shortly before her wedding to Prince Harry.
Commander Jon Savell, Professional Standards, said the vile messages were shared on a WhatsApp group in 2018. He called such behaviour "completely acceptable" for anyone, especially a police officer.
The duo used a WhatsApp group that was installed on their private phones to exchange memes and other content that was discriminatory on the grounds of sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability.
Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett, who leads the Central East division of the Met Police, said the repulsive behaviour of the cops "understandably damages trust". He apologised to the public his department serves.
He added that he doesn't want any officer who would engage in such behaviour near the community. "I will be personally emailing everyone who works at Central East to reinforce the message that words matter, respect matters. And every time someone sends this sort of message, they cause real hurt".
The Met Police further said the department is working hard to rebuild the trust in the police force. All employees are given instructions to be responsible for the use of social media and adhere to professional boundaries. They are also encouraged to actively intervene in wrongdoing.
