Pcs thrown out over race offences

Two police officers who were convicted of racially aggravated criminal offences have been thrown out of the Metropolitan Police, Scotland Yard said today.

One of the officers was dismissed and the other was required to resign after they were found guilty in the criminal courts of offences committed while off duty.

The Yard's firm disciplinary stance comes amid on-going police efforts to improve their image over race relations.

Although huge efforts have been made since the Macpherson report into the handling of the Stephen Lawrence murder branded the Met "institutionally racist", critics say the police still have a long way to go.

A report by the Commission for Racial Equality - set in motion after racism among police recruits at a training centre was exposed in a BBC documentary - said Britain's police were still in the grip of racist behaviour and attitudes.

The inquiry, headed by former director of public prosecutions Sir David Calvert-Smith QC, said there was "ice in the heart of the police service" on race issues. Pc David Davies, 29, who was based with the territorial support group at Paddington, was required to resign after being found guilty last July of racially aggravated assault and intending to damage or destroy property during an incident at Piccadilly Circus Tube station. Guildhall magistrates were told how, in June, 2003, he barged into the operations room just after midnight and demanded the station staff call the police.

When he was challenged the officer - who had been drinking - kicked, punched and racially abused the black station supervisor.

Pc Davies received a one-year conditional discharge and was ordered to pay ?750 compensation. He was then brought before a police disciplinary board in March and required to resign.

The other incident occurred outside a Lancaster nightclub when two men - one of them Pc Stuart Inglis, who was based at Hammersmith - tried to enter and were told they had to queue.

The two men racially abused the black man minding the door of the venue, continuing their racist comments as they walked off. Police were called and arrested them a short distance away.

Inglis was found guilty at Lancaster magistrates last December of a racially aggravated public order offence, fined ?250 and ordered to pay ?50 compensation to the victim.

An appeal against his conviction was dismissed last month, and after a disciplinary board four weeks ago he was required to resign from the force.

Len Duvall, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said: "We take these matters seriously and this demonstrates that. We are constantly trying to make sure that we do the right thing to show our commitment to anti-racism. Post-Lawrence, the Met has done a lot and we are continuing down that path."