Report details offensive messages exchanged by police officers

It has come to light that a father and daughter, both serving as police officers, communicated “hostile” and “discriminatory” messages between themselves concerning crime victims and fellow officers. One message from the father contained a derogatory term for an individual with Down’s syndrome, and a separate exchange featured a racist slur directed at mental health personnel. PCs Craig and Annie Napier, the officers in question, transmitted the “vile” WhatsApp messages from 21 April 2020 to 26 May 2021. They tendered their resignations from West Midlands Police (WMP) earlier this year; however, they would have faced dismissal, as revealed during two accelerated misconduct hearings. A report detailing their conduct indicated that the remarks made were hostile and discriminatory based on disability, race, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation. During the hearings conducted last month, it was stated that both officers harbored “deeply ingrained hostility” towards other individuals. The proceedings revealed that messages were dispatched ridiculing members of the public, colleagues, and victims of crime. One message from the father incorporated an altered version of the WMP emblem. In another conversation, concerning a crime scene on 26 October 2020, the duo callously discussed a possible murder. Ms Napier inquired: “Is she mangled?”, to which Mr Napier responded, “She’s face down so can’t see a lot. There’s just a lot of blood around her head.” When she followed up with: “Oooo! You think it’s murder?”, he answered: “Who knows and dares to dream, I’ll let you know when I know babe.” On 9 August 2020, while present at the location of a child’s death, Ms Napier transmitted a message to her father stating: “Yeah I heard about it not good, is it trampy?” The two individuals have not issued apologies for their conduct. Both were determined to be guilty of gross misconduct; Mr Napier was characterized as the “instigator,” while his daughter was identified as an active participant in the “repulsive” communications. The hearing concluded that the pair engaged in “abhorrently racist” conversations for their “own self-amusement,” targeting individuals with protected characteristics and those different from themselves. West Midlands Police had previously commended Ms Napier as “brave” following her attendance at a disturbance at a block of flats in Coventry in May 2020. The force shared body camera footage on X, depicting the apprehension of Temisan Oritsejafo, who spat in Ms Napier’s face. The accompanying post stated: “Brave PC Annie Napier is still on active duty and at the forefront of keeping the public safe – and pursuing crime suspects – just like her colleagues across the force.” The report, issued subsequent to the hearings, indicated that they were accountable for “serious breaches.” It asserted: “[They] grossly undermine public confidence, [and] bring discredit upon West Midlands Police as they completely disrespected colleagues, victims and the public alike, in a way which was highly offensive and patently grounded in prejudice.” The report further added: “They knowingly and consciously decided to communicate in such a repulsive manner which demonstrates a palpable level of disrespect for difference and protected characteristics. “On the balance of probability, the level of hostility they demonstrated in their communications was grossly offensive.””