An investigation by the Sunday Times revealed messages between serving and retired officers which included describing the Grenfell Tower disaster as ‘The Great Muslim Bake-off’, and claims one officer offered to help hide a colleague’s money during a divorce, which would be fraud.

The WhatsApp and Facebook messages had been shared with the newspaper by the family of a former Gwent Police officer, who took his own life in 2020.

The investigation also saw female former offices share allegations of misogyny and sexual harassment that they said they had experienced.

Gwent’s Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Cuthbert told the Argus that these were “very serious allegations that must be investigated properly”.

Chief constable Pam Kelly confirmed that Wiltshire Police were provided with the former officer’s phone and a tablet last month, and that the force has started an independent investigation on behalf of Gwent Police.

Chief constable Kelly said the content of the devices “includes messages shared on social media between serving and retired officers prior to 2020.”

“The content we have been made aware of is abhorrent and any officers identified by the investigation as having breached either professional standards or the criminal threshold will be held accountable,” she said.

“The content shared with us paints a picture of a toxic culture which does not represent the majority of our service. 

“Over the past three years we’ve worked hard to make sure that our colleagues are clear about the high standard of professional behaviour we, and the public, expect from them. 

“We have also made it clear that those who do not uphold these standards have no place in Gwent Police – or in policing.

“The recent dismissal of three senior officers reflects our commitment to pursue and hold accountable those who let us all down, and we will continue to challenge unacceptable behaviour in court or through the independently chaired disciplinary process.”

Gwent Police faced criticism for holding the misconduct hearing into these three senior officers behind closed doors.

“Justice must be seen to be done,” said Argus editor Gavin Thompson, when calling for the hearing to be held in public. “That is a central tenet of our legal system, because without transparency there is no trust.”

In the Sunday Times investigation, one female former officer claimed she was dismissed from the force after making a complaint of sexual assault against a male colleague.

“We recognise that in the past Gwent Police has not always lived up to the standards those reporting issues to us should expect,” said chief constable Kelly.

“Last year we publicly apologised to two victims for our failure to support them appropriately when they raised concerns in 2017. 

“Since then we’ve ensured that anyone bringing issues forward can do so in a safe and supportive way, and remain supported throughout any investigation and subsequent disciplinary process. 

“We’re pleased that feedback from victims and witnesses in recent and historic cases is demonstrating that we are getting this right.

“We’ve also set out our aim to become an anti-racist service and will continue to work on the generational change required to ensure that every member of our community can be confident in our commitment to that aim. 

“The content shared with us is vile and these views have absolutely no place in Gwent Police.

“While the independent investigation is underway we’re unable to comment on the individual allegations but we have demonstrated that we do take professional standards of behaviour extremely seriously and will take action against any officer or staff member breaching them regardless of rank.”