Police officer who sent derogatory messages barred
BBCA police constable who sent derogatory messages and shared information about an attempted murder via WhatsApp has been barred from serving.
A misconduct panel ruled Josh Parkin would have been sacked from Cumbria Police had he not resigned before the hearing.
In his written decision, Temporary Chief Constable Darren Martland said the former officer had breached confidentiality when he shared information with a colleague without a policing reason, and referred to a member of the public in a "derogatory way" in messages.
In a statement provided by a Police Federation rep, Parkin said he "never intended to do harm" and did "not shy away from his wrongdoing".
Documents from the hearing, which was held in December, show Parkin faced three allegations, which Martland determined amounted to gross misconduct.
In January 2021 he took photographs of a police statement on constabulary systems which included personal data and shared them with a serving officer without a policing reason.
On the same date, he referred to a member of the public as "little tosser" in WhatsApp messages to a colleague.
'He prepared excuses'
Between February and May 2021, Parkin repeatedly shared information with a colleague on WhatsApp, including the name of the victim of an attempted murder, who the suspect was and how the attempt was made.
He also shared the name of a woman who had died in a crash, together with his "negative opinion of that female prior to the public release of information", papers showed.
Martland said in his decision the former officer's behaviour was aggravated by the fact he knew it was wrong.
He said: "In their communications, [Parkin] appears to acknowledge that their actions are inappropriate, and makes reference to explanations/excuses that will be provided, in the event that they are discovered by supervision."
Martland said Parkin's behaviour and "derisory comments" were "inappropriate, unprofessional and not reflective" of police standards.
Parkin did not attend the hearing, but documents showed he admitted the allegations and accepted his behaviour did not meet expected standards.
Following the hearing, Martland said Parkin's actions were not a reflection of the behaviour of other officers.
He said: "I can assure the public that the constabulary will not hesitate to take action where individuals have failed to adhere to the high standards expected of them."
