Peterborough based Cambridge Police officer barred for using 'offensive language'
PC James Roper, based at Thorpe Wood Police Station, was found to have commited gross misconduct
A police officer has been dismissed following a misconduct hearing.
PC James Roper, who was based at Thorpe Wood Police Station, was found to have breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of Discreditable Conduct, Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Equality and Diversity and Duties and Responsibilities, amounting to gross misconduct.
A misconduct panel has found that PC James Roper’s offensive comments about immigrants on a public forum amounted to gross misconduct, with additional misconduct proven over his use of offensive language in a work conversation.
The two day hearing, which was held last week at Lysander House in Sandy, concluded that PC Roper be dismissed without notice.
The hearing, centred on Roper’s comments made during a public exchange on LBC Radio in December 2022. In the discussion, Roper responded to a comment about government responsibility for migrants by stating, “They’re not our problem until they make it here, so let’s not help them.” He added, “If it is truly Allah’s will, they will get here.” The panel found these remarks discriminatory, deliberate, and in breach of the police’s standards for respect, equality, and conduct.
The panel also found Roper guilty of misconduct for using a the term to denigrate people with learning difficulties in a work-related conversation on 23 March 2023. He claimed it was a self-deprecating term derived from military slang, but the panel ruled it offensive and unacceptable. “The language used was disrespectful and discriminatory,” the panel concluded.
Both incidents were judged to violate police standards, with the panel stating that Roper’s behaviour had the potential to harm public trust in the police.
Deputy Chief Constable Jane Gyford said: “The language used by the officer was not only offensive but discriminatory and falls below what our communities expect from a police officer
“The conduct that this officer has displayed falls below policing’s professional standards and it is important to show this finding to support the need to maintain public trust and confidence in the Constabulary.”