West Midlands Police officer ‘secretly filmed sex with two women and shared video with colleagues’

A criminal investigation has been launched after allegations that a West Midlands Police officer secretly filmed himself having sex with two women and then shared the video online with colleagues. 

The officer, who works in the firearms division, reportedly filmed the sex act without the women’s knowledge at a Christmas party, and later shared the offensive material with his team via social media.

Channel 4 News revealed that ten West Midlands police officers and members of staff have shared the footage on social media which has resulted in some team members being removed from their firearms duties as an internal investigation is carried out by the force.

However, the internal investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct and offensive social media messages has come under criticism from some quarters.

Dame Vera Baird – former victims commissioner for England and Wales – is deeply concerned about the culture of toxic masculinity in the police force and feels that the officers involved in the sexual misconduct case should be immediately suspended and issues surrounding the police vetting process need to be addressed.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Dame Baird said: “These attitudes don’t develop in a vacuum where they would be actively discouraged. I think we’ve seen … whole cultural problems about sexuality in particular, and this has a bit of an inevitability about that, really.

“I think there are very serious problems about vetting. There have been so many errors made by so many forces that have culminated in men who should never have been in the force in the first place being looked at in exactly this way.

“It seems to me it is no longer at all appropriate that the police should carry out their own vetting. It should be done, in my view, with the intervention of some outside people.”

Jess Phillips, the MP for Birmingham Yardley and Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, is also concerned about the internal police investigation and echoed Baird’s call for an independent investigation.

Phillips outlined her concerns to Channel 4 News and said: “What is the standard for vetting, disciplinary, suspension in these instances?

“For too long in West Midlands police, as well as in pretty much every police force across the country, we have seen cases where officers accused either through the criminal process or the employment processes of the police have been put on light duties, for example. It’s just not appropriate.”

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police told Channel 4 News that the force does not tolerate any predatory, discriminatory or misogynistic behaviour and any officer or staff member found to be committing these offences will be immediately rooted out.