100 South Yorkshire police officers questioned over ‘racist’ behaviour

A REPORT has revealed over 100 investigations into racism by a Yorkshire police force - including an officer who asked the owner of a dog which bit an Asian man if the pet liked curry.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Jan 2015, 14:05 BST
..
.

The figures from South Yorkshire Police reveal that between 2005 and 2013, the conduct of 105 officers was investigated following complaints of racism from fellow colleagues and members of the public.

Three officers were disciplined for their behaviour.

One officer, who has not been named but received a final written warning in 2011, ‘suggested a colleague was receiving special treatment due to the his/her race/ethnicity’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The same officer is alleged to have asked a member of the public, whose dog had bitten somebody: ‘does your dog like curry?’.

The officer also ‘tried to embarrass an individual by playing an Asian music ringtone’ and on another occasion told a colleague that if a complaint of racism was made, it would go ‘nowhere’.

Another officer resigned after appearing to fall asleep during training on hate crime in 2009.

The report describes an officer’s attitude to training on hate crime ‘disruptive, sneering and sarcastic’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The following year another officer resigned following an allegation they had been ‘racially abusive’.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “The number of complaints relating to allegations of racist behaviour are low across the force but this is an issue we take incredibly seriously.

“Any allegations of discriminatory behaviour are investigated thoroughly and if evidence of misconduct exists that any employee has acted in a discriminatory manner, they would be subject to disciplinary hearing and potentially face dismissal from the service.

“In June the Independent Police Complaints Commission issued guidance about investigating complaints and allegations of discriminatory behaviour.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We are reviewing our procedures in light of this to ensure our investigations are compliant with the learning found by the IPCC.

“We are always looking to improve our service and it is important to remind the public that if they are unsatisfied or unhappy with how a complaint has been resolved, there is a right of appeal.”