Watching the Detectives.....................

Sunday 1 May 2011

Met officers accused of playing racist game

Senior police officers played a racist game of trying to spot black PCSOs at night joking that it was harder to find them in the dark, a tribunal heard.


Asad Saeed: Met officers accused of playing racist game
Asad Saeed, 35, who claims an 'apartheid' system for black and white officers existed at west London's Belgravia station. Photo: PA

The allegation came during an employment tribunal brought by PCSO Asad Saeed, 35, who claims an "apartheid" system for black and white officers existed at west London's Belgravia station.
At a hearing yesterday it emerged that an internal Scotland Yard investigation in 2007 found evidence of violent and bigoted incidents over a prolonged period of time.
Sergeant Sarah Cashman, who compiled a report into allegations of bullying, said many PCSOs were afraid to speak out and some had been assaulted and threatened by colleagues.

PCSO, Peter Campbell, 48, also said officers played "spot the PCSO" and followed ethnic minority staff at night.
In documents submitted to the tribunal, Mr Campbell said: "When we were on our beat after dark we would often notice a police car following us. Eventually one of the police constables told me that they were playing a game called 'spot the PCSO'.


"We would look over and see two white police officers gawping at us from the vehicle. The joke was that all PCSOs had black or brown skin colour so they were very hard to see in the dark.

"When I found out that police constables and senior police officers played this game I was extremely upset. I found it offensive and degrading."

He said on one occasion in the winter of 2007 black and ethnic minority PCSOs were left to cover a police cordon in the middle of a stormy night while white colleagues watched TV indoors.

The PCSO said: "We were treated like dogs that night."

Mr Campbell said if his colleague had not blown the whistle the racism would have continued.

Mr Saeed, an Asian Muslim, joined the Met as a PCSO in January 2007 and said there were obvious racial tensions as white and ethnic minority staff were always in separate groups.

He said: "At first I did not jump to conclusions, but after a week or so it was obvious that there was an established racial divide."

Speaking about the alleged culture of bigotry, he said: "At Belgravia, they turned a blind eye to racism."

The Met denies the allegations. The tribunal continues.

7:00AM GMT 03 Mar 2009

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