Police inspector sacked over Just Stop Oil slurs

A police inspector with 27 years on the force was sacked after using slurs about disabled people to insult Just Stop Oil protestors.

Insp Ross Meredith, who was part of Merseyside Police's LGBT+ network, said the climate change activists were "like special needs kids" and suggested they had a "mental health condition".

Mr Meredith was found guilty of gross misconduct at an accelerated misconduct hearing, chaired by assistant chief constable Alex Ross, and dismissed without notice.

Merseyside Police said Mr Meredith's language had "undermined our considerable efforts to be an inclusive force that represents all of our diverse communities".

The force was made aware of the posts in April 2024 and he was ordered to take them down, but in June it was noticed that "unacceptable material" remained on his account.

A written judgment from the hearing described how on 7 June 2023 Mr Meredith responded to a post from Just Stop Oil by stating: "This evil cult are so dim they simply don't realise the futility of their tantrums."

He went on to use a discriminatory term referring to people with learning disabilities.

A month earlier he had shared a post describing the group as acting like "spoilt special needs kids" and added: "People in power view you as nothing more than dog dirt in the grooves of a shoe."

The final misconduct charge referred to a post in July 2022, when Mr Meredith wrote that anyone gluing themselves to a painting - a tactic used several times by the group - must be "suffering from a mental health condition".

He was charged with breaching professional standards around discreditable conduct, equality and diversity, and authority, respect and courtesy.

Mr Meredith apologised and accepted posting the comments before the hearing, also admitting the first two posts amounted to misconduct, but denied the threshold of gross misconduct had been reached.

In his written judgment, ACC Ross stated: "The language used by the officer was offensive, derogatory and unbecoming of a police officer.

"The officer's comments demonstrated a lack of respect and courtesy for those with disabilities, as well as a lack of impartiality in dealing with groups of people who have strong legitimate views around the important issue of climate control."

ACC Ross said the case was "particularly aggravated" by his senior rank and "highly visible leadership role, particularly in relation to marginalised groups and community engagements".

The ruling means Mr Meredith's name will be added to the College of Policing's barred list, prohibiting him from working in any policing role in England and Wales.

He has the right to appeal.

Det Ch Supt Sarbjit Kaur, head of the force's Professional Standards Department, said: "By posting messages that were demeaning to people with disabilities, he displayed behaviour at odds with our behaviours and standards."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.