A Cambridgeshire Police officer has been given a Final Written warning for three years after he sent offensive messages to a colleague.

A misconduct hearing was held on March 6.

At the hearing it was found that the officer, who has been referred to as Officer A, sent messages that contained content that was considered "racist, sexist and grossly offensive" to his colleague.

He sent the texts on April 28, 2023, on his personal phone while on duty.

It transpired that the colleague that received the messages was not the intended recipient of them - Officer A mistakenly sent them.

The recipient is said to have found the texts "to say the very least, offensive".

Officer A admitted that some of the messages he sent breached the standards of professional behaviour, and some were "inappropriate and immature".

The hearing also found that on two occasions, a series of messages were sent "without any apparent checking of the content or to ensure the intended recipient was going to receive them."

The lack of checks that Officer A carried out "demonstrates a lack of thought and professionalism."

Officer A was found to have breached three categories of professional behaviour in policing, including: Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Equality and Diversity, and Discreditable Conduct.

Recommended Reading: Cambridgeshire Police officer misconduct hearing on March 6

Chief Constable Nick Dean, who chaired the misconduct hearing, said that "there was an acceptance that wrong had ben done.

"This has never been denied and Officer A has fully cooperated with the investigation."

When determining the outcome of the misconduct hearing, Chief Constable Dean considered Officer A's length of service as well as his character references.

"Having considered the case before me today, my determination is that the least severe outcome that deals adequately with the issues identified whilst maintaining public confidence is a Final Written warning for three years."