A now retired Cambridgeshire Police officer sent “racist, discriminatory and inappropriate” text messages to a colleague, an investigation has revealed.

The ex-cop, who retired in February this year, was found to have committed gross misconduct at a private hearing on Tuesday, April 26.

Held at the Cambridgeshire Constabulary headquarters in Huntingdon, the police constable was found to have breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour.

It was found that the PC sent the vile messages between 2009 and 2010.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “A former police officer has been found to have committed gross misconduct.

“At a private hearing at the force headquarters last week, a police constable was found to have breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of Equality and Diversity and Discreditable Conduct, amounting to gross misconduct.

“The hearing heard that between 2009 and 2020 the officer sent text messages to a colleague that contained text that was racist, discriminatory and inappropriate.

“The PC retired from Cambridgeshire Constabulary in February.

“The hearing concluded that the officer would have been dismissed had he still been with the force.”