West Midlands Police officer sacked for “making racist comments” and inappropriate behaviour

An officer from the West Midlands Police has been sacked after making racist and inappropriate comments about his colleagues, according to the force.

The officer, whose identity has been withheld by police, appeared before an independent misconduct panel this week.

The officer in question had previously been given a final written warning when he appeared before an independent panel in September last year, but West Midlands Police successfully challenged the decision resulting in a further hearing on Thursday 9 July.

This time the panel unanimously agreed that the officer should be dismissed without notice for his repugnant racism.

Head of Professional Standards, Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Todd, said: “It was clear in this case that this officer felt it acceptable to talk about other colleagues in a racist way.

“It was always our case that any officer or member of staff in West Midlands Police behaving in that way should be dismissed.”

West Midlands Police has also received criticism from the public during the recent ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests held in Birmingham. Several demonstrations were held outside their headquarters at Lloyd House in Birmingham city centre.

Fury surrounding the treatment of Black people at the hands of police officers and six cases of racism and police brutality are currently under investigation since the start of the this year, including the brutal beating of a 15-year-old boy in the Newtown area of Birmingham in April.

Additionally, the excessive use of violence and stun guns against Black suspects has caused anger and resentment amongst the community of Birmingham.

News of the racist incident comes as West Midlands Police has admitted struggles in recruiting people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

According to the the Police and Crime Commissioner, ethnic minority recruitment is a top priority for the force due to underrepresentation from these communities and demographics. The force aims to recruit 1,000 BAME officers over the next three years in a bid to “change the face” of West Midlands Police.

With the force currently only 11% BAME, officials believe a target of about 30% Black, Asian and minority ethnic officers and staff would better reflect the city.

Responding to the need to weed out racism in its ranks, Superintendent Todd added: “There is no place for racism in policing and if we don’t eliminate it internally we cannot expect the public, particularly those from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, to put their trust in us.

“It was the right thing to do therefore to challenge the original decision at the High Court.

“I hope now that this outcome will give confidence to our colleagues across policing to report such behaviour knowing that they will be supported; and that it will give confidence to our communities that they can trust West Midlands Police to root out racism.”

In a similar incident, a decorated West Midlands Police officer was last month sacked for sending a sexually explicit photograph to a member of the public. However, in that case the officer was publicly named for what force officials described as “completely unacceptable” behaviour.