Two police officers were jailed after sharing WhatsApp images of the bodies of Bibaa Henry (left) and Nicole Smallman
(Picture: PA Wire)The Met Police have welcomed recommendations made by the police watchdog following an investigation into the actions of two officers who took photographs of two murdered women at a crime scene.
Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were police constables assigned to guard the scene after Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, were found dead in bushes in Fryent Country Park, Wembley, in June 2020.
Instead, the officers moved from their posts to take photographs of the bodies which were then shared with colleagues and friends on WhatsApp.
Both men were jailed in December for two years and nine months after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office.
In a statement on Friday, the Met said it had implemented all of the recommendations made by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
They claimed the force had made “significant changes to improve our standards and culture” since the incident.
The IOPC had urged the Met to ensure all officers at Forest Gate police station, where Jaffer and Lewis worked, to conform to the expectations of their behaviour under the force’s Code of Ethics.
In addition, they recommended that managers “take personal responsibility for tackling inappropriate behaviour while encouraging reporting of wrongdoing”.
The Met said employees at the force had been spoken to about “responsible use of social media”, “absolute adherence to professional boundaries” and “actively intervening and challenging wrongdoing”.
Commander Paul Brogden said: “We are sorry for the truly despicable actions of PCs Jaffer and Lewis and how this has compounded the distress and suffering of the sisters’ loved ones.
“These matters, along with other high profile cases in the Met, have been an urgent catalyst for change. We’re working hard to rebuild the public’s trust and confidence that police officers will protect and respect them.
“Part of rebuilding that trust is making it impossible for such behaviour to be seen as acceptable, telling the public where we have got it wrong and what we are doing about it, and removing officers who have behaved in such an awful way.”
The Met was put into special measures last week following a series of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by former PC Wayne Couzens and the publication of racist and sexist messages sent by officers at Charing Cross police station.
Andy Cooke, the chief inspector of constabulary, said earlier this week that regaining the public’s confidence was the “number one” priority for the Met.
