A police force in Wales is facing claims of misogyny, racism and corruption, following an investigation by a national Sunday newspaper.

The Sunday Times reports shocking claims based on the WhatsApp and Facebook messages of a former officer of Gwent police, who took his own life in 2020. The messages were discovered by a family member and shared with reporters.

The messages found on the phone between unnamed officers – some of whom will no longer be with the force – include:

  • Describing the Grenfell Tower disaster in which 72 people died as ‘The Great Muslim Bake-off’.
  • Claims an officer offered to help hide a colleague’s money during a divorce, something that would be illegal.

Wiltshire Police is now investigating and is understood to have the former officer’s mobile phone.

The investigation, by Sunday Times reporters David Collins and Hannah Al-Othman, also spoke to three former female officers who said they made complaints about male colleagues dating back to 2012 but found themselves pushed out of the force for what they say were spurious reasons.

The claims over the culture in Gwent Police follow a series of cases in the Met Police, which ultimately led to the resignation of Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick earlier this year.

The most high-profile case was that of Sarah Everard, who was killed by a serving officer Wayne Couzens after he abducted her while she walked home in Clapham, south London.

Couzens was given a whole life prison sentence last year but the case brought to light a culture of misogyny within the Met that saw the force lose the confidence of many women.

Vigils took place across the country, including in Newport, following Miss Everard’s murder.

Today’s allegations suggest the toxic culture is not contained to the Met.

Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor in the north-west of England, has been supporting the family of the dead former officer. He posted on Twitter this morning: “Issues of racism, misogyny and bigotry in policing is a national one that damages public confidence and police morale. Time for a national inquiry to root it out once and for all.”

Gwent Police was criticised this year for holding a misconduct hearing into three senior officers behind closed doors.

The hearing led to two senior officers being sacked for gross misconduct and a third told he would have been sacked had he not already retired.

The allegations against chief superintendent Marc Budden, chief superintendent Mark Warrender and chief inspector Paul Staniforth dated back to June 2019, and related to an alleged incident at former Gwent Police chief constable Julian Williams’ retirement party.

The South Wales Argus recently reported that almost 100 investigations into alleged misconduct at Gwent Police had taken place in the last three years.

Chief Constable Pam Kelly told the Sunday Times that Wiltshire Police was conducting an indepedent investigation on behalf of Gwent Police, which includes the contents of the mobile phone.

She described the content as "abhorrent".