A Metropolitan Police detective sergeant has been dismissed from the force following a misconduct hearing that found her Instagram posts about the Gaza conflict breached impartiality standards and included content meeting the international definition of antisemitism.
Rebecca Collens, who worked in the Road and Transport Policing command, faced disciplinary proceedings after her private social media account was reported to the force’s Right Line whistleblowing service in May 2024. The misconduct panel examined material posted to her Instagram account, which had more than 100 followers.
The panel’s determination centred on two key findings: that the collection of posts demonstrated overtly political content, and that one particular post satisfied the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. The IHRA framework provides recognised criteria for identifying antisemitic material.
According to the hearing, the post deemed antisemitic contained imagery drawing parallels between Nazi concentration camps and conditions in Gaza. Collens added a comment to the shared material stating that “the abused becomes the abuser.” The panel established that her reference to “abused” applied to Jewish people rather than the State of Israel, which did not exist during the Holocaust period, bringing the remark within the IHRA definition’s scope.
Additional posts examined during the proceedings included content describing events in Gaza as genocide, material criticising Israeli military actions in Syria and Lebanon, a graphic making comparisons between child casualties at Auschwitz and in Gaza, and Collens’ own commentary regarding restrictions on ceasefire demonstrations.
The panel concluded the posts collectively “demonstrated a lack of impartiality and presented a one-sided view of the Gaza conflict during a time of heightened public controversy” in the period following 7 October 2023.
Collens told the hearing her purpose had been highlighting suffering in Gaza, describing emotions of “guilt, helplessness, heartbreak and pain” that motivated her social media activity. She stated she had no intention to cause offence or show disrespect towards the Jewish faith and expressed being “horrified” upon learning the panel had determined her post was antisemitic.
The misconduct panel acknowledged the motivations Collens described but ruled the post remained antisemitic “whether or not the officer had appreciated at the time it would be considered so.” The determination indicated that impact rather than intent formed the basis of the antisemitism finding.
Detective Chief Superintendent Donna Smith described Collens’ conduct as “wholly unacceptable” and stated the Metropolitan Police was actively building a culture where “anyone can feel welcome in the Met.”
The case originated from an anonymous report submitted through the Metropolitan Police’s Right Line whistleblowing service. The confidential reporting system accepts submissions from both serving officers and members of the public regarding conduct concerns within the force.
The Metropolitan Police continues to enforce standards regarding officers’ social media use, with impartiality requirements applying to serving personnel’s online activity. The Right Line service remains operational for reporting conduct issues, with the force maintaining oversight of officers’ public and private social media accounts.
