UK Police to Court Over Discrimination

CAIRO — Britain's most senior Muslim officer is planning a legal action against the Metropolitan Police Commissioner for being humiliated and subjugated by Scotland Yard.

"He is not being taken seriously, not spoken to and is being humiliated," a source close to Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur told The Times on Thursday, June 26.

"He is not being involved in meetings and is being passed over when it comes to making decisions."

Sources said Ghaffur was angered by his treatment by Metropolitan chief Sir Ian Blair on several issues.

Ghaffur, who was until recently responsible for planning security for the 2012 Olympics, has been excluded from key Olympic security planning meetings.

The Muslim officer, who has opposed extending the pre-charge detention of terror suspects to 42 days, was also browbeaten to keep quiet about his opposition.

Ghaffur's contract has been renewed by one year, unlike other officers who have theirs renewed by five years.

"The key point is that this is not about corporate Met, it is about individuals," said the source.

Sources say relations between Ghaffur and Blair have become so strained they only speak to each other in formal, minuted meetings.

Scotland Yard said it was unaware of an employment tribunal application by the top Muslim officer.

"If it is, we regret and are disappointed that Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur has chosen to pursue such a course. AC Ghaffur is a respected senior police officer who has achieved a great deal," it said in a statement.

Sidelined

Ghaffur has declined to comment on the report.

"I'm not able to say a word. I cannot comment," he said at the Association of Chief Police Officers annual conference in Liverpool on Wednesday.

Ghaffur's legal action has won support from the powerful National Black Police Association, reported the Telegraph.

"It will be a sad day for the police service if one of the UK's most respected senior ethnic minority police officers is forced to challenge his treatment in court," said the association's president Ali Dizaei.

"The negative effect of such an action on recruitment and on trust and confidence in policing, in particular with minority ethnic communities, will be significant and cannot be under-estimated."

Dizaei, who is of Iranian origin, had earlier accused Scotland Yard of discrimination after denying him a £95,000-a-year post of Commander, equivalent to the rank of assistant chief constable.

Instead, three white officers were selected by a four-strong police authority promotion board

Ghaffur's lawsuit follows a similar complaint by a senior Asian officer, Commander Shabir Hussain, against Scotland Yard.

Hussain told an employment tribunal that Sir Blair sidelined black and Asian detectives and surrounded himself with a "golden circle" of handpicked favorites.