Police Officer Dismissed After Sending Offensive Messages About Minority Groups
A police officer who was among the first responders to the 2017 London Bridge terror attack has been fired for gross misconduct after using derogatory language targeting Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities in WhatsApp conversations.
DC Mark Luker of the British Transport Police (BTP) participated in a WhatsApp group named "Selbie Gumshoes" with other members of the Major Serious and Organised Crime (MSOC) team. In these exchanges, he made offensive remarks that were deemed discriminatory by a misconduct panel.
Details of the Offensive Messages
On December 31, 2024, Luker commented on a message about someone winning a bottle of whisky with a security tag still attached. He wrote, "Was this a raffle on a certain kind of site? Lots of mobile type homes? Lots of 'Dags'." He followed this with, "You are the MSOC pikey liaison." The panel concluded these were deliberate attempts to associate the Irish Traveller community with theft.
The term "dags" is believed to reference a scene in the film Snatch, where Brad Pitt's Gypsy character's accent is mocked, making it derogatory. Additionally, on March 17, 2025, Luker responded to a video of a St. Patrick's Day parade with, "Off to find some scrap metal, lead roofing and cable," which the panel found discriminatory for linking these communities to criminal activity.
Officer's Defense and Panel's Findings
During the tribunal, Luker admitted that his scrap metal comment was a joke intended to associate theft with Irish Travellers but claimed he did not mean for the word "pikey" to be offensive. He cited the use of humor as a coping mechanism for dealing with the trauma of the London Bridge attack, which occurred on June 3, 2017.
However, the misconduct panel ruled that his messages were deliberate and discriminatory. They stated that as an experienced officer, Luker likely knew the language was offensive to minority communities. Despite this, the panel noted he is not "inherently racist" but emphasized the seriousness of his actions.
The case highlights ongoing issues of racism and misconduct within police forces, underscoring the need for stricter accountability measures to protect vulnerable groups from discriminatory behavior.
