West Mercia Police staff investigated for grooming and using porn website

Two people have been fired by West Mercia Police for inappropriate use of social media in the last three years. Investigations have involved a sergeant, as well a police officer and staff.

Details released under the Freedom of Information Act show 12 cases of staff being investigated since 2018, with seven of those investigations taking place this year.

One case involves the porn video sharing website Pornhub. Six cases relate to WhatsApp, two each to Twitter and Facebook and one to YouTube.

One investigation relates to an allegation of grooming, while others involve inappropriate comments, posts, chat and images.

As well as the two dismissals, one member of staff retired or resigned. The force has issued one final written warning, one written warning, and ordered six colleagues to undertake reflective practice. One member of staff was subject to management action.

Superintendent Rebecca Love of West Mercia Police, said: “Our force’s Professional Standards Team is a dedicated team who investigate allegations of misconduct by police officers and staff. They deal with reports of inappropriate use of social media sites, which are handled in line with the regulatory requirements, overseen by the IOPC where the criteria for this are met.

“All matters reported are taken very seriously and undergo thorough review and investigation where appropriate to identify any wrong doing by officers or staff. Since 2018, two individuals have been dismissed without notice for gross misconduct relating to misuse of social media, and West Mercia Police continues to take a robust stance on this, conducting detailed and fair investigations.

“West Mercia Police prides itself on its high standards and excellent service delivery to the public and will continue to record and investigate allegations of this nature thoroughly now, and in the future.”

West Mercia police and crime commissioner John Campion has been contacted for a comment.