White officers sue Met for race discrimination

Two white policemen are suing Scotland Yard for racial discrimination.

The case comes amid claims that black officers are getting preferential treatment in the investigation and settlement of complaints.

The two men claim they were victimised by senior officers and investigated for wrong-doing when an Asian officer doing the same job was not.

They also allege black officers are getting more lenient treatment from superiors since the Macpherson Report, which followed the investigation into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence. The Met was accused of institutional racism in the report.

The claims also come amid mounting controversy over the force's handling of the case of Superintendent Ali Dizaei, the senior police officer who was reinstated by the Yard and

awarded £80,000 compensation in October after being cleared of corruption charges at the Old Bailey.

Sources at the Police Federation, which is backing the pair, claim other white officers are "queuing up" to sue the Met following the Dizaei deal.

Many are returning anti-corruption leaflets to the Yard bearing the slogan "Integrity is Non-Negotiable" with the word "non" crossed out.

The two white officers - Inspector Bill Cole and Pc Ken Anderson - complain they were unfairly sacked from a posting to Bramshill police training college in 1999 after being investigated for allegedly fiddling their mileage expenses. The pair say an Asian officer who was working in the same unit was not investigated, even though he was employed doing the same work and claimed the same mileage allowance.

Pc Anderson claims he was put on restricted "back office" duties and only faced disciplinary charges almost two years later. These did not refer to claims of mileage irregularities but accused the constable of letting himself be described as a "temporary sergeant" and failing to pay a £44.80 hotel bar bill during a residential course.

He denies the claims, saying the Met officially promoted him and that he had agreed with the hotel that it would post the bill to him because their credit-payment facility was out of order.

The two men consistently denied the allegations and the Met finally agreed no further action should be taken. The men's claims are due to go before an industrial tribunal next week. One officerconcluded there was a perception of "organisational revenge" by the Met.

Among the witnesses who could be called are former Met officer Mike Todd, the present Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, and several commanders.

Pc Anderson claims he was eventually forced to take sick leave for stress. He claims he was put on half pay after six months while black officers in similar situations remained on full pay.

Scotland Yard said in a statement: "The MPS denies allegations of race discrimination and victimisation."

The case has taken four years to come to a hearing and involved several highranking officers in a series of lengthy and costly reviews and investigations.

At least 20 complaints of race discrimination involving ethnic minority officers are in the process of being settled by the Met.