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A Lewisham policeman has been dismissed for sending racist and discriminatory texts.

PC Stephen Newbury, 49, based in Lewisham, sent 24 text messages to PC George Cooper, 41, which were described as “racist and discriminatory in tone and content.”

Cooper, based in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Unit, was also dismissed for sending eight inappropriate texts to Newbury, a Met spokesman said.

Both were dismissed without notice after a public misconduct hearing that took place yesterday.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Fiona Taylor from the DPS said: “We, and the public, expect our officers to maintain the highest possible standards of behaviour.

“The content of the text messages being exchanged between these officers was not only highly inappropriate and discriminatory but in direct contradiction of the values of the MPS.”

“There is no place for officers who hold racist views in London’s police service.”

The pair were investigated by the Directorate for Professional Standards (DPS), which makes sure Met Police officers carry out their work to a high professional standard, after information from Operation Alice suggested they were sending inappropriate texts to each other.

Operation Alice was set up to investigate police corruption in the plebgate scandal which hit the national press when Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell was accused of calling a police officer a “pleb” at the gates of Downing Street in 2012.

The DPS found Newbury had breached police standards of professional behaviour in relation to authority, respect and courtesy, equality and diversity, orders and instructions, confidentiality and discreditable conduct.

The investigation also found that Newbury had asked another police officer to check police records on his car for a personal reason in 2010.