Police officers issued with advice after ‘degrading and inappropriate comments’

Three police officers have been issued with advice and a fourth subject with measures to improve conduct following “degrading and inappropriate comments”, the office of the Police Ombudsman has said.

It comes after an investigation by the watchdog found officers used degrading language about a man and his partner, and mishandled evidence after a mobile phone was seized during his arrest.

Three officers were issued with advice to improve their conduct as well as their handling of property.

A fourth officer was subject to measures designed to improve his performance following the investigation of the incident in December 2022.

The man made a complaint to the Police Ombudsman’s Office and submitted a seven-hour excerpt in which officers referred to a suspected victim of domestic violence as “mental”, possibly suffering from “post-natal depression” and requiring admission to hospital.

In a statement, the Police Ombudsman’s Office said it recommended the PSNI should hold misconduct meetings with all four officers.

This was not accepted by the PSNI’s Professional Standards Department, which decided instead to hold a misconduct meeting with one officer and offer advice to the others.

It also said officers had been unaware the man’s phone had been recording audio from before his arrest and throughout his time in police custody, and that the recording included several concerning comments and revealed issues with how officers had dealt with the phone.

The investigation concluded that the mobile phone had not been packaged, labelled or stored in accordance with PSNI policy. It had also been taken out of the police station while the complainant was in custody, and there was no clear record of its movements while in police possession.

Additionally, Police Ombudsman investigators examined an allegation that an officer had encouraged a colleague to destroy the mobile phone out of fear it might be recording and another officer was heard to respond “what a way to get sacked”.

The officer who made the initial comment about damaging the phone was interviewed under criminal caution on suspicion of attempting, or encouraging someone else, to break the device.

A file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), which directed that the officer would not be prosecuted.

The Police Ombudsman identified no misconduct in relation to the complainant’s other allegations, which included that he had been unlawfully arrested and that officers had falsified statements and incident logs, and caused damage to a laptop while he had been in police custody.

Hugh Hume, chief executive for the office of the Police Ombudsman, said the remarks were concerning.

“While these comments were made by police officers outside of a public setting, they nonetheless reflect attitudes and behaviours that are entirely unacceptable,” he said.

“It is particularly concerning that such degrading remarks were directed towards a woman reporting to be a victim of domestic abuse.

“This serves as a reminder that police officers should always act with compassion, professionalism and integrity.”

He added: “This is another case in which we identified that police officers failed to deal appropriately with an electronic device.

“The protection of personal data and the preservation of potential digital evidence is of critical importance yet we have a number of cases involving concerns that police procedures governing this area are not being followed.”

Detective Superintendent Julie Mullan, from the PSNI’s Professional Standards Department, said it acknowledges the findings of the report.

She said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland and the public expect police officers to investigate incidents fully, fairly and professionally.

“Where it is perceived that conduct falls short of these high standards, it is right that officers should face an impartial, thorough inquiry by the Police Ombudsman’s office.

“As a result of the investigation, three police officers have been issued with advice to improve their conduct while a fourth officer was subject to measures designed to improve performance.

“While in this instance the conduct of the officers fell short of the standards that we have set, it is not representative of the excellent work police officers carry out across Northern Ireland on a daily basis as we strive to keep people safe.”