An officer has been dismissed without notice for gross misconduct from the Police Service of Northern Ireland following internal investigations by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland and the PSNI.

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “We expect the highest standards of professionalism and integrity from all of our police officers in accordance with the standards contained in the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Code of Ethics.

“This matter was heard by myself in a Special Case Hearing and our robust actions show that we will not tolerate this damaging and unprofessional behaviour - there is no excuse.

“The messages repeatedly shared by this former constable were shocking, wholly inappropriate and discriminatory. The attitudes of sectarianism, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism and misogyny within these messages have no place in policing.

“The police officers who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them were subject to management action in relation to potential breaches of our Code of Ethics.

“A further three officers have been dismissed without notice in recent months in similar circumstances following wholly inappropriate material being shared amongst groups.

“Police officers exercise significant powers, and it is vital that there is an accountability framework for officers. If the public is to have confidence that we will police without prejudice and fairly, it is essential that just as we, as the Police Service, pursue perpetrators in our communities, we are as committed to rooting out those that may be in our own ranks.”