Shoreham Airshow disaster crash site selfie a 'huge disappointment and really upsetting'

On Monday evening, The Argus revealed two Sussex Police officers were under investigation for gross misconduct after sending the video, with an offensive message, to a colleague, who reported it to superiors.

Deputy Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney said yesterday the two Brighton officers, both relatively new to the force, had recorded the video of themselves while on duty standing at the cordon of the crash.

She said there was "no detail" in the video, taken from a distance, of the site where eleven men were killed when the Hawker Hunter came down on the A27 during the Shoreham Airshow on August 22.

Ms Pinkney told The Argus: “It is a huge disappointment and really upsetting, primarily because it means further anguish for these eleven families of these local men.

“But also of course it really lets down the hundreds of colleagues who have worked so tirelessly since that tragic day.”

She will now decide whether the officers have a case to answer for gross misconduct. If so they then face either a fast-track or full disciplinary hearing.

It is understood the video was sent via SnapChat. The Argus has chosen not to publish the message.

Ms Pinkney said victims' families were "disappointed" when they were told by police yesterday about the investigation, on the eve of press reports.

But she added she hoped the difference between "what two officers have done and what hundreds of others have done is appreciated”.

Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne, who holds the chief constable to account for police performance, described the message accompanying the picture was “grotesque”.

She said: “The families have been through so much distress and they really don’t need this coming back to remind them what they had been through.

“I am also aware of the hashtag that has been used and, quite frankly, personally I found it was grotesque.”

She added the incident raised questions over whether new guidelines were needed over the police’s use of social media, and she would raise it with the College of Policing, of which she is a board member.

Mrs Bourne said she was concerned the incident would “overshadow” the commendable work at the scene by police and other emergency services.

Retired detective Graham Cox, who was in charge of misconduct hearings more than 15 years ago, said the officers’ alleged actions were “clearly inappropriate" and offensive to victims.

But he said he thought there was a difference between sending a message to a colleague, as the officers did, and publishing it to the public.

The officers are on restricted duties while the investigation is ongoing.

Q&A WITH OLIVIA PINKNEY

Q. What is your reaction to the situation?

A. It is a huge disappointment and really upsetting, primarily because it means further anguish for the eleven families of these local men, but also of course, it really lets down hundreds of colleagues.

Q. What happens next?

A. We knew about this immediately because another colleague told us, so we have known about this for some time. We told the officers straight away what we were fearful they had done and they have given a written account, which is with Lisa Bell [head of the professional standards department]. I then make a decision about whether this is gross misconduct. After that the officer can go to a gross misconduct hearing, or there is a smaller percentage of cases which are suitable for fast-track and that happens where the evidence is fairly incontrovertible.

Q. What will you be looking at in making your decision?

A. I need to see all the information. But what I would say is the police code of conduct is very, very clear on the requirement of putting the public first and treating the public with respect. And of course they did not.

Q. What kind of training would these officers have received in terms of social media and in reacting to such a horrific situation?

A. We are very, very clear and there is lots of material available to them and we encourage conversation with superiors. Social media is a brilliant tool and we encourage officers to use it. But we also want people to think about the difference between private and public accounts – in this case I don’t mind whether it is public or not, they still should not have done it. The fact that it was private to me is not relevant – but we really encourage people to think about keeping private away from work.

These two officers are relatively new to policing. What is interesting is I am getting so many messages from colleagues in the force who did not know this had happened and they find it utterly disgusting and appalling.

Q. Some people might point to ‘gallows humour’ or a bizarre reaction to such horror as explanation. Do you think it can be explained, if not justified, at all?

A. I would never dream of trying to explain it in that way – it is so clear what the duties of a police officer are. We have high standards that the public, rightly, expects from us.

Q. Do you think some of the good relationship between police and the victims’ families has been lost?

A. I hope not. On Monday we spoke to each and every family. So we were very clear with them and let them know everything, which is the only thing to do. We have been at pains to explain to them what we are doing about it and I am taking it very seriously, so they know that. They are disappointed. But what I do hope is that the difference between what two officers have done and what hundreds of others have done, and are still doing, is appreciated.

Q. Straight after the crash, Sussex Police asked people not to post gruesome footage online. Do you think this undermines that message?

A. I don’t think so. It is still clear and most people really, really respect that. Where people did respect that and still sent footage to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and police – that is fantastic because there is so much material for investigators.

These two officers videoed themselves from a distance, there was nothing gruesome in that video, there was no detail. It was the inappropriate hashtag that was particularly upsetting.

Q. What has happened to the officers now?

A. I could have suspended them, which I did consider, but I decided not to. I really wanted them to earn their money because while [someone is] suspended the public still pays them. They are working with no public contact duties and are being very closely supervised.

Q. Would you have made this public had The Argus not published it?

A. Police misconduct hearings are now held in public. We have been taking this very seriously right from the start. Our priority is with the families.