Police officer took pictures of vulnerable people on duty and shared racist, homophobic images

A police officer took photos of vulnerable people while on duty and used a personal mobile phone to store “appalling” racist and homophobic images.

Merseyside Police said Ryan Connolly’s actions were “deplorable” and an “insult” to the force after a misconduct hearing identified three breaches of professional standards.

The case comes after two Metropolitan Police officers used their mobile phones to take photographs at the scene where two sisters had been murdered. Those officers were jailed for two years and nine months, prompting a warning from the police watchdog over “unacceptable” use of WhatsApp by officers to share sensitive operational information or discriminatory comments.

A senior Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) official told The Independent in November that messaging groups are “replicating the canteen culture in the online space”, with the watchdog having seen examples of misogyny, vile jokes about the victims of crime, homophobia and racism in police chats.

Connolly, who resigned from the Merseyside force in November prior to the hearing, was found to have stored and shared homophobic, racist and “deeply offensive” images, to have taken photographs of vulnerable people while on duty and to have maintained contact with a known criminal without disclosing it to other officers.

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley said: “I am appalled by Connolly’s actions, they are beyond comprehension and are not in keeping with the high standards and values that we expect here at Merseyside Police.

“Our officers carry out exceptionally brave selfless acts every single day, protecting the most vulnerable people in our communities, yet here we see the despicable acts of a very selfish individual who has no place in our police service.

He added: “His actions are an insult to the uniform and the police service, which consistently strives to protect our communities and provide a professional and inclusive service to the people of Merseyside. The behaviour of this officer is deplorable and serves to undermine the public's confidence and trust in the police.”

Merseyside Police said it had introduced enhanced vetting processes.

In a statement toThe Guardian, which first reported the story, DCC Critchley added: “An investigation by our anti-corruption unit uncovered the fact that Connolly had been using his own phone to take photographs of vulnerable people whilst on duty and that the phone also contained appalling homophobic, racist and offensive images.

“Between 2015 and 2018 Connolly stored images on his personal phone that were racist, homophobic and severely offensive and on some occasions had shared those images. The behaviour of this officer is deplorable and serves to undermine the public’s confidence and trust in the police.”