TWO PSNI OFFICERS have been dismissed after they took numerous photos and videos of vulnerable people.

Jacqui Durkin, the police ombudsman, said the individuals were treated with “nothing short of contempt”.

Police Officer A, whose identity has not been shared, recorded videos and took pictures of people who had asked for help, reported crimes, were intoxicated or considered at risk of self-harm.

The videos and images were captured in people’s homes, in hospitals and in police vehicles, and some were shared on WhatsApp. They were often accompanied by “sexualised, derogatory and demeaning” commentary.

In one case, Police Officer A shared them with a member of the public.

In total, 18 people were identified as having been referenced in messages, videos and photographs found on personal mobile phones belonging to Police Officer A, spanning a period between 2016 and 2021.

The second officer (Police Officer B) took photographs of two vulnerable women, which he then shared with Police Officer A along with messages which referred to the women in derogatory terms.

In June 2021, Police Officer A and Police Officer B had been tasked to the woman’s home after a report of a concern for her safety. She had learning difficulties and mental health needs.

The video shows the woman in bed in her nightwear, with Police Officer B standing at the foot of the bed. Police Officer A asked a “highly inappropriate question using a slang term” relating “to the woman’s sex life”, after which Police Officer B shouted a comment and invited her to repeat it.

The woman responded by holding up her electronic tablet and telling them she was recording them, after which the Police Officer A stated that they were having “craic” and told the woman to “lighten up.”

In a statement, Durkin said this was a “gross intrusion of her privacy”.

“Almost all of the people affected by these actions were vulnerable, some extremely so,” she said.

“They should have been treated with compassion and empathy. Instead, they were treated with nothing short of contempt.”

She went on to say the officers showed no respect for people’s dignity or privacy in their time of need, “and seriously undermined their trust and confidence in policing”.

“They were unworthy of the role of police officer and it is only right that they have been dismissed from the PSNI,” she concluded.

In a statement today, the PSNI said the behaviour falls “far below” their standards.

“We recognise the profound impact this conduct may have had on those affected and on wider public confidence in policing,” Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said.

“We are sorry that individuals who sought the assistance of police were let down in this way.”

He also said it’s “encouraging” that the behaviour was brought to light because another officer reported it through the anti-corruption hotline.