Investigation into Former Police Federation Chairman
The former chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, Sgt Richard Cooke, is currently under investigation for gross misconduct concerning his social media posts.
Earlier in 2025, the High Court overturned a previous decision that had suspended Sgt Cooke from his federation position following complaints related to separate social media comments.
This latest investigation arises from complaints made by Charlotte Smith of Warwickshire, who described one of Cooke's posts as "inappropriate and inflammatory".
Cooke declined to comment on the ongoing gross misconduct investigation when approached by the BBC.
Smith initially contacted West Midlands Police in April 2025 regarding comments made by Cooke on the social media platform X.
She had previously spoken to the BBC after reporting former Warwickshire Police inspector Paul Whitehurst for harassment.
At the time of the post, Cooke was serving as chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation. He had re-posted an article and added the comment that "many officers lives are also totally destroyed by false and malicious allegations and delays".
Smith stated that Cooke's remarks were "deeply insulting, especially to women who have experienced abuse at the hands of men and, more specifically, male police officers".
In October 2025, a disciplinary panel determined that Whitehurst would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had he not resigned.
On 30 March 2026, Cooke was officially informed that he was under investigation for gross misconduct following complaints from members of the public.
This marks the beginning of a formal police disciplinary procedure and does not constitute a judgment on the officer's conduct.
If it is established that the officer breached professional standards, the case could proceed to a public hearing.
West Midlands Police confirmed to the BBC that a serving sergeant was "under gross misconduct investigation following complaints from a number of members of the public relating to a number of social media posts".
A spokesperson for the force added that the investigation is being independently managed by Lincolnshire Police and that the officer has not been suspended from duty.
Background and Previous Suspension
Previously, Cooke was suspended in December 2024 after he described claims of widespread racism within the force as "nonsense".
An investigation conducted by the Police Federation of England and Wales found that comments he made on social media and during interviews breached professional standards.
As a result, he was suspended from his role as chairman and prohibited from standing in elections for any public roles for one year.
However, this suspension was overturned by the High Court in January 2026.
Cooke argued that the federation's decision to suspend him violated his right to free speech and claimed he had been "the victim of a witch hunt".
"I only ever sought to defend the reputation of my colleagues from what I considered were unfair, misleading headlines about them. A job I was twice elected to do."
The Police Federation initially pursued a legal challenge against the High Court's ruling but later withdrew it.
