Ex-Northamptonshire PC shared detainee injury image, panel finds

A former police officer who shared a picture of a hospital patient’s facial injuries on WhatsApp has been found to have committed gross misconduct.

Neil Irvine posted the image of the individual, who had been detained by Northamptonshire Police, in a group message on his personal phone.

The PC would have been dismissed had he not resigned the day before the hearing on 19 September, a disciplinary panel concluded.

Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet said: “No other outcome than dismissal would be adequate to uphold public confidence in policing and maintain the high standards that I expect of officers of Northamptonshire Police.”

The disciplinary panel was told the incident happened in December 2024.

Mr Irvine accompanied the images with a message that used “derogatory and inappropriate wording… glorifying the impact of the use of force”, the panel heard.

He had also been subject to a final written warning at the time of the incident, the disciplinary report said.

The panel found Mr Irvine’s behaviour “constitutes gross misconduct… no other outcome than dismissal would be adequate”.

The ex-officer, who did not attend the hearing, was also barred from policing in future.