Met Police officers accused of racist comments about white people

An inquiry into a police WhatsApp group, said to be the largest-ever, has led to disciplinary notices being served on 22 police officers.

The officers are said to have been serving within the Metropolitan Police's East Area command.

The investigation, led by The Sun, could affect up to 30 police personnel, ranging from constable to inspector rank.

The probe has seen approximately 40,000 messages seized by the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards.

A source described the probe of the WhatsApp group, allegedly used by the officers, as unprecedented in its scope.

The source told The Sun: "In terms of the scale of the investigation, there has never been anything like it."

The messages allegedly contain a range of deeply problematic content spanning racism, sexism and professional misconduct.

Among the most striking allegations, it is alleged that a Muslim officer in the group made disparaging remarks referring to "white trash" at theme parks.

The officer in question is said to deny any racist intent or desire to cause offence.

Beyond the racial comments, messages within the chat are also alleged to have mocked victims of domestic violence and vulnerable individuals.

Some exchanges reportedly celebrated the use of disproportionate force against people in custody.

A source characterised much of the content as "ill-judged banter".

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They told The Sun: "It was ill-judged banter but some of the comments apparently crossed the line."

The inquiry is understood to have escalated after a Muslim officer was accused of sending a sexist message to a female colleague.

Other messages are claimed to have been about domestic violence victims and vulnerable people in an offensive manner.

The messages also allegedly celebrated using excessive force on prisoners.

In a statement, a Met Police spokesman told The Sun that 22 officers have been placed on restricted duties.

They said: "The messages are reported to include unprofessional and insensitive language, potential data breaches and breaches of confidentiality.

"At this stage, there is no indication that any activity meets the criminal threshold."

Chief Superintendent Dan Card, who leads policing in East London, added: "No one in this organisation can be in any doubt as to the standards we've set."