Ex-UK police officers charged over racist Prince Harry and Meghan Markle text messages
- The six officers sent the ‘grossly offensive’ texts in a WhatsApp group between 2018 and 2022
- The messages also targeted Rwandan asylum seekers and people affected by last year’s deadly floods in Pakistan
In a sign that racism has roiled in the highest ranks of the Metropolitan Police, the BBC reported on Tuesday that six retired officers, who all spent time in the force’s Diplomatic Protection Group, have been charged with criminal offences over “grossly offensive racist messages.”
A statement from the Metropolitan Police revealed that the six officers – all in their 60s – had each served time in various capacities in the force, but notably in the Diplomatic Protection Group, which has since been renamed the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, the BBC said.
This group deploys officers to protect government buildings, embassies and residences, including the prime ministerial residence of 10 Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster, where parliament sits.
The statement said the charges follow an investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, which was launched in response to an expose by BBC’s Newsnight programme late last year. The statement said the officers were charged with offences under a section of the 2003 Communications Act.
Commander James Harman, who leads the Met’s Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, told the BBC that “the honest majority of Met officers are fully behind this work.” He said “they are tired of being let down by a minority in policing and they are aware of the damage poor behaviour can do to our relationship with the communities we serve.”
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