Five former London police officers admit sending racist messages

BIRMINGHAM, England

Five former officers from the Metropolitan Police have admitted to sending offensive racist messages on WhatsApp, according to a court hearing Thursday in London.

The messages also targeted Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry.

The officers pleaded guilty in Westminster Magistrates' Court and admitted they sent the messages multiple times.

The officers, who retired between 2001 and 2015, have been charged with "improper use of public electronic communications network" under the Communications Act 2003, police previously said in a statement.

"As a result of the investigation, it was established that from August 2018 until September 2022, inappropriate communications were shared within a closed WhatsApp group," added Metropolitan Police.

An independent report into Metropolitan Police earlier this year concluded that the force is "broken" and should be abolished if it cannot change.

The 363-page report revealed shocking incidents, including a female Met Police officer being “forcibly undressed” by a male officer in a patrol car and forced to sit on his lap. The force, it said, has failed to protect the public from officers who abuse women. Londoners have been "put last" and the city "no longer has a functioning neighbourhood policing service."

It revealed claims of rapists and pedophiles escaping justice after a packed fridge holding forensic evidence overheated last summer, ruining samples. The coolers were reportedly held closed with bungee cords and officers contaminated the samples by keeping their lunch in one, said the report.

In other shocking cases, a Muslim officer told how his colleagues left bacon in his shoes, while another officer said officers were told to delete WhatsApp messages showing wrongdoing during meetings with senior officers.