Detective in charge of 'toxic' unit admits he should have 'stamped out' behaviour

Detective Inspector Timothy Ireson said he should have been aware of an "escalation in behaviour" among his officers as they made repeated "stomach turning" remarks.

The serious organised crime team, previously described as "ableist, sexist, racist, transphobic and homophobic", were caught using an array of abusive language in a covert recording.

A junior officer told a misconduct hearing that in the "isolated" unit everyone became "inappropriately cavalier" due to a culture in which nothing was ever challenged.

Six officers within the SOCU unit at Northern Police Investigation Centre in Basingstoke are accused of either making "abhorrent" comments or not challenging others when those remarks were made.

The officers accused of gross misconduct are Detective Inspector Timothy Ireson, Detective Sergeant Oliver Lage, Detective Sergeant Gregory Willcox, trainee Detective Constable Andrew Ferguson, PC James Oldfield, and PC Craig Bannerman.

Following an anonymous complaint to a whistleblowing service, covert recording devices were placed in the unit's offices between March 9 and April 2, 2018.

Investigators also began monitoring their WhatsApp messages and emails.

On Tuesday (December 15) the misconduct hearing heard DI Ireson's reaction to claims his relaxed attitude allowed a "toxic" culture to develop.

Luke Ponte, defending DI Ireson, said: "He accepted in his evidence that a cavalcade of words and phrases that are the subject of recordings fell at the extreme end of the scale.

"Hearing those words in this room, seeing those words, single obscenity by obscenity, is impactful and shocking and turns the stomach."

Mr Ponte said however, that there was a complete "absence of evidence" that DI Ireson was aware of the worst "excesses" of his team's behaviour.

He added: "He tolerated a degree of teasing, swearing, inappropriate language but nothing which approaches the extreme and obviously inappropriate language in the probes."

Mr Ponte said that the panel would have to consider to what extent DI Ireson's "failings in leadership" led to the "toxic culture".

He continued: "His conduct does not reflect the egregious behaviour of his team… He accepts with hindsight his leadership should have been more rigorous, more intrusive.

"He should not have tolerated the extent of swearing. He should have been more alert to the question of an escalation of behaviour.

"His style of management, was informed by good intentions. He's a decent man but with shortcomings in the end."

However, Adrian Keeling, QC, defending PC Oldfield, who also faces one allegation of coming into work drunk, said the culture developed because DI Ireson failed to manage the team.

He added that the stress and intense workload on the "highly successful" unit led to strong relationships forming and officers would "forget to apply the filter".

Mr Keeling said: "The culture that arose was a powerful one and so powerful it influenced a large number of officers.

"However, toxicity is too easy and too glib and too pejorative a description. What was said was restricted to that closed environment.

"[The officers] had become inappropriately cavalier in what they could, or could not, say in that context.

"What has happened is in that closed environment they forgot, or neglected, to put on the filter they would have elsewhere.

"It is to be noted quite how many officers said things or failed to challenge them.

"It is highly unlikely this unit somehow managed to have in it a large proportion of discriminatory officers, that somehow all the bad apples had ended up in the same office."

The hearing has been told DI Ireson has retired and PC Bannerman has resigned since the covert recordings were made.

The police officers all admit misconduct but deny gross misconduct.

The tribunal panel is likely to give its decision on Friday and the men will then discover in January if they face sanctions, which could include losing their jobs.