South Yorkshire Police officer filmed laughing at racist slur fell 'woefully short of standards expected'
Gross misconduct has been proven in the case of the former officer.
A former South Yorkshire Police officer accused of filming himself laughing at the use of a racist slur and being in possession of a video, in which laughing can be heard after a male detainee hit his head, would have been sacked had he not resigned, a panel has ruled.
Three separate allegations were brought against former police constable Jack Grange, who is understood to have been a serving officer with the force at the time of the alleged conduct.
Mr Grange was accused of laughing at a racist slur made by another man in a Snapchat video, and of being in possession of two South Yorkshire Police body worn videos, one of which reportedly captured a man laughing after a male detainee hit their head. The other was said to show a police officer with his hand around the throat of a member of the public whilst also using offensive language.
Mr Grange’s conduct was found to have amounted to gross misconduct at the conclusion of an accelerated misconduct hearing held on May 14, 2024, and the panel ruled that Mr Grange would have been dismissed from the force had he not resigned.
Speaking after the panel returned its findings, Chief Constable Lauren Poultney, who chaired the accelerated misconduct hearing, said: “Former PC Jack Grange’s actions fell woefully short of the standards expected of a police officer. I take a zero-tolerance approach to such behaviours in my force and, in light of my findings, I would not have hesitated to dismiss this former officer from South Yorkshire Police had he not already resigned.
“We take all breaches of our Standards of Professional Behaviour extremely seriously, and will thoroughly investigate any and all allegations of misconduct to ensure we remain a force in which the public can put their trust and confidence.
“We provide extensive training and guidance on the proper use of police equipment and social media to our workforce. It is clear to everyone who works for the force in any capacity that offensive language and behaviour is not tolerated, and will be dealt with robustly where failings are found.”
The panel found that Mr Grange’s behaviour breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of Discreditable Conduct, Equality and Diversity, and Confidentialty, and that the breaches amounted to gross misconduct.
South Yorkshire Police’s guidance on misconduct hearings state that they should be heard by a panel of three people that should be chaired by an ‘independent legally qualified person who will be chosen from a pool held by the local policing body.
The other panel members should be an ‘officer of at least the rank of Superintendent and an independent lay person, selected from an approved list held by the local policing body’.