A police inspector with 27 years of service has been dismissed for describing Just Stop Oil (JSO) protesters as “retards” and likening them to “spoilt special needs kids” in a series of social media posts. The remarks, made on X (formerly Twitter) between 2022 and 2023, were labelled “derogatory and ableist” during a misconduct hearing. The comments were deemed discriminatory and damaging to public confidence in policing.
Inspector Ross Meredith held several roles during his career with Merseyside Police, rising through the ranks in what had been a previously unblemished tenure. Most recently, he served as a community inspector in Wirral and a ‘bronze team’ responder, responsible for operational decisions during high-profile incidents. Meredith was also a member of Merseyside Police’s LGBTQ+ Network, which promotes inclusion within the force and the wider community.
The oldest post scrutinized at the misconduct hearing, made in July 2022, saw Meredith comment on a report about a JSO protester gluing themselves to a painting. He wrote: “Other than suffering from a mental health condition, there is no other rational explanation” for the protest.
In May 2023, responding to a post by JSO about members being arrested by the Metropolitan Police, Meredith commented:
“You’ve lost the argument. All you ever do is harass and disrupt normal people, hindering the important chapters in their lives. Those in power view you as nothing more than dog dirt in the grooves of a shoe. Stop acting like spoilt special needs kids and stop wearing oil-based tabards.”
In July 2023, Inspector Meredith made his final post, stating:
“Each pathetic protest results in fewer people supporting their cause. This evil cult is so dim they simply don’t realize the futility of their tantrums. The government doesn’t care about orange JSO retards hurting normal people.”
The force became aware of the posts on April 2, 2023, and instructed Meredith to delete them. Despite the warning, the posts remained online a week later. Meredith admitted breaching the police’s standards of professional behaviour at an accelerated misconduct hearing earlier this month.
In its disciplinary report, Merseyside Police concluded that Meredith’s actions constituted gross misconduct. Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Alex Goss, who chaired the hearing, stated:
“The officer’s comments demonstrated a lack of respect and courtesy for those with disabilities, as well as a lack of impartiality in dealing with groups of people who have strong, legitimate views around the important issue of climate control.
“The comments were discriminatory and had the potential to bring the police service into disrepute and undermine public confidence in both Merseyside Police and policing nationally.”
ACC Goss highlighted that Meredith’s senior position, particularly his responsibilities for ‘community engagement’ and ‘marginalised groups’, made his conduct particularly serious.
“There is no getting away from the fact that you must have known the obviously insulting, offensive, and derogatory nature of the language used in the comments which you admitted making,” Goss added. “The public have a legitimate expectation that police officers will treat them with respect and courtesy. Their confidence in the police will be damaged by your actions.”
Meredith was dismissed without notice and placed on the College of Policing’s barred list, preventing him from serving in any police force for at least five years.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sarbjit Kaur, head of Merseyside Police’s professional standards department, said:
“Inspector Meredith’s actions undermine the good work of officers and staff, the overwhelming majority of whom consistently strive to protect our communities every day they turn up for work.
“We always demand the highest possible standards from all our officers and staff, both on and off duty. We work proactively to root out and investigate officers and staff whose behaviour falls short of the very high standards the public of Merseyside expect and deserve.”
Mr. Meredith has indicated that he plans to appeal his dismissal.
