Former Norfolk officer condemned for hate messages
Former police constable Connor Rowley, 31, was found to have breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour
Last updated 13th Nov 2025
A Norfolk police chief has condemned the actions of a former officer, who exchanged hateful discriminatory messages on WhatsApp.
Former police constable Connor Rowley, 31, was found to have breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in relation to Authority, Respect & Courtesy, Equality & Diversity and Discreditable Conduct following an Accelerated Misconduct Hearing at Norfolk Police headquarters in Wymondham today (Thursday 13 November 2025).
The hearing was chaired by Norfolk’s Assistant Chief Constable Nick Davison. He determined that Connor Rowley, who resigned with immediate effect from the constabulary on 9 September 2025, had committed “serious and significant breaches of the professional standards that are key to the role of an officer in society”, and this was a case of gross misconduct.
At the hearing, Mr Davison confirmed the officer would have been dismissed from the force had he remained a serving police officer.
Rowley will be placed on the Police Barred List and Police Advisory List meaning he can never work in policing again.
Norfolk’s Deputy Chief Constable Dave Marshall has spoken out about the former officer’s behaviour, describing it as “hateful.”
He said: “I’m appalled by these vile messages. The public we serve rightly expect the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and fairness. His behaviour fell woefully short of the standards we set ourselves and those expected of us.
“He has breached my trust, the trust of every dedicated member of our service, and the trust of the communities he promised to protect and serve.
“Whilst it is deeply disappointing to be in this position, I remain unwavering in our commitment to uphold the highest standards. Any colleague in Norfolk whose behaviour falls short will face action, as we take every necessary step to restore trust and confidence in policing.”
Today’s Accelerated Misconduct Hearing was told how the former police constable had exchanged a large volume of messages with a friend on WhatsApp. The messages were discovered as part of another live investigation independent of former PC Rowley or any other serving police officer.
The messages, attributed to the exchange between the former PC Rowley and his friend, included:
- Racist content, including derogatory remarks about people from minority ethnic backgrounds
- Antisemitic content, including references to Jewish stereotypes and Holocaust-related imagery.
- Homophobic content, including derogatory remarks about LGBTQ+ individuals.
- Misogynistic content, including comments trivialising violence against women and promoting sexist stereotypes.
- Ableist content, including derogatory language about individuals with disabilities.
- Pro-Nazi / Fascist content, including admiration for far-right ideologies and Nazi symbolism.
- Images depicting animal cruelty.
Norfolk Police received the contents of several thousand digital messages shared between the former officer and his friend on 30 July 2025. Following a review of the contents, Rowley, who was a serving officer based in Norwich at the time, was suspended from his role on 15 August 2025. He resigned with immediate effect on 9 September 2025.
He joined Norfolk Constabulary as a police constable on 4 January 2022, having served as a special constable between March 2019 and November 2021.