Officers are rapped for ‘racist conduct’

Allegations include an off-duty PC making racist comments during an incident in 2007 and an off-duty police officer who sent texts of a racist nature to an associate.

A group of 38 PCs and an inspector were all given a formal warning in 2007 after an ‘inappropriate’ email which could be deemed to be racist was circulated among them.

And later the same year 10 sergeants, an inspector and a chief inspector faced a disciplinary hearing and were reprimanded for the same offence while in a supervisory position.

The statistics, gathered following a Freedom of Information request, show that three officers were advised over their conduct, another was reprimanded after a hearing, one PC was fined after allegedly racially abusing a colleague, and another was given a written warning after a misconduct meeting for the same offence.

One case was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission after a PC was deemed to make racist remarks to a member of the public while they were under arrest, but the investigation was dropped after the complainant failed to co-operate.

Two officers also resigned before disciplinary proceedings in separate incidents.

A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: “We take any report of racism involving our officers extremely seriously and will fully investigate claims. If the claims are found to be correct, and depending on the severity of the claim, then the officer can become the subject of a gross misconduct hearing which is presided over by a member of the force’s senior command, another senior officer and an independent Home Office-approved representative. This board will decide each case on the evidence presented and can result in the officer being dismissed.”

“Out of the 57 claims, which is a relatively small number, 51 of those related to an email that was circulated several years ago. Anyone who received that email and failed to take appropriate action was dealt with by way of disciplinary action.”