The officers, who retired between 2001 and 2015, have been charged by post with offences under Section 127(1) (a) of the Communications Act 2003.
They will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 7 September.
The six men charged were not serving at any point during their participation in the group.
The charges follow an investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, launched following coverage by the BBC’s Newsnight programme in October last year.
A first arrest was made within hours of the allegations being passed to the Met by the BBC, and enquiries have continued since.
As a result of the investigation, it was established that from August 2018 until September 2022, inappropriate communications were shared within a closed WhatsApp group.
They served in various parts of the Met throughout their careers, but all spent time in the Diplomatic Protection Group, now known as the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
Commander James Harman, who leads the Met’s Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command, said:
“As soon as we were made aware of these allegations, we acted to launch an investigation. I am pleased that following the determined work of officers, we have been able to secure these charges.
“We are working relentlessly to rebuild the trust of the public, which has understandably been dented by a number of high-profile incidents and investigations in recent years which have involved officers or former officers.
“The honest majority of Met officers are fully behind this work. They are tired of being let down by a minority in policing, and they are aware of the damage poor behaviour can do to our relationship with the communities we serve.
“I recognise announcements about the outcome of our investigations may have the potential to cause further public concern, but I hope it demonstrates our absolute commitment to investigate any corrupt and abusive behaviour from the Met.
“I hope the public will recognise that we are determined to take the necessary measures to investigate any wrongdoing wherever we find it.”
Peter Booth, 66, retired in 2001; Robert Lewis, 62, retired in 2015; Anthony Elsom, 67, retired in 2012; Alan Hall, 65, retired in 2015; Michael Chadwell, 62 (retired in 2015) and Trevor Lawton, 65, (retired in 2009)
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What ever happened to free speech? They are civilians in a PRIVATE group ffs!
Commander James Harman had me in stitches with his claim that the public are worried about tasteless WhatsApp messages. The public could not care less. What the public wants is a copper to turn up when called with the objective of catching, arresting and prosecuting criminals.
If you are a shop keeper, if thefts are under £100, nobody cares, unless of course you are unwise enough to tackle the thief, in which case they round like a flash to feel YOUR collar for assaulting thieves.
Other thefts are ignored as well. Illegal e scooters are rife and the cops have already given up. They represent a real menace on the roads and the cheap, probably illegal imports are a massive fire hazard. The list just goes on and on, but chasing down real crime requires effort. Reading WhatsApp messages is much easier.
Thus is the Thought Police born and it is now thriving. No wonder the public has lost faith. Our police, once the most respected throughout the world, is now as unpopular as the French police always were. Why? Because they do not deal with the real stuff, only what suits them.