An adjudicator from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has determined that three constables in British Columbia failed to exhibit respect and courtesy towards individuals by sharing racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks in a group chat among fellow officers and on police computer systems.
Louise Morel concluded that Coquitlam constables Mersad Mesbah, Ian Solven, and Philip Dick breached the RCMP code of conduct and engaged in discreditable conduct by disseminating the offensive comments. However, other allegations pertaining to workplace harassment were dismissed.
The incident has drawn attention to the Coquitlam detachment following the initial disclosure of the messages by CBC News in September 2024.
During the code of conduct hearing earlier this year, Supt. Darren Carr, the commanding officer of Coquitlam RCMP, described the officers’ actions as “a campaign of hate” in an email communication.
Court documents revealed that the accusations against Solven, Dick, and Mesbah arose after a fellow officer raised concerns about what he perceived as “atrocious,” “racist,” and “horrible” behavior exhibited by his colleagues.
Morel expressed confidence that the comments would be deemed discourteous, disrespectful, and discreditable by a reasonable member of society. She highlighted that sharing such comments in chats could undermine public trust in the RCMP.
During the hearing, Morel scrutinized numerous messages over nearly three hours, identifying them as racist, sexist, and homophobic in nature.
She particularly pointed out comments made by Solven, such as references to a vulnerable female being raped by multiple individuals, labeling an RCMP unit as the “penis-touching team,” and derogatory remarks about a victim of criminal sexual assault.
In Dick’s case, the messages included derogatory references like “the big turban man” and “the useless short tubby Asian,” as cited by Morel.
Regarding Mesbah, she highlighted messages containing the term “retarded” when referring to others.
Morel emphasized that the messages indicated