Red faces for West Mercia Police after numpty blunder
It could happen to anyone. You write something inappropriate about someone in an e-mail – and then accidentally copy them in.
Now Telford man Tim Warner has made a complaint after a policeman called him 'numpty' in an e-mail – only for Mr Warner to himself receive the message.
The police officer involved has since apologised for his error.
Mr Warner, from Madeley, said he received the e-mail on January 25.
He was exchanging e-mails with Constable Simon Northcott as he had been involved in a dispute and the police had been informed.
In his e-mail Mr Northcott had advised Mr Warner to drop the dispute.
After receiving Mr Warner's reply, Mr Northcott then sent an e-mail to a sergeant, which said: "I am not going to grace him with anything, the man is a numpty for not just accepting the advice."
However, Mr Northcott had accidentally copied Mr Warner into the e-mail.
Mr Warner said: "I took umbrage with it when I received it. It was inappropriate. He obviously didn't mean to copy it to me. I was really quite offended."
Mr Warner said he would have taken his complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission but they had relinquished their role in dealing with some complaints since November.
"I have now taken it to the Police Complaints Appeals Unit but they have said they won't be able to hear my appeal until March," said Mr Warner.
Mr Warner said he was told his complaint would be reviewed. West Mercia Police said the officer involved immediately apologised after realising his mistake.
Maria Wilkinson, a spokesperson to West Mercia Police, said: "We received a complaint regarding the use of inappropriate language by one of our officers in an e-mail to a member of the public. The officer immediately realised what he wrote had been inappropriate and apologised to Mr Warner within minutes of the initial e-mail being sent. The complaint was swiftly investigated by our Professional Standards Department.
"The officer accepted his comment had been inappropriate and has been dealt with through management action in addition to the apology he had already made.
"We will be making no further comment on the matter."
