The case of Metropolitan Police Firearms Officer, Carol Howard is testimony to how far race quality has been abandoned by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Deputy Mayor Stephen Greenhalgh and Commissioner Bernard Hogan Howe.
The fact that the Mets Departments of Professional Standards (DPS) in reviewing her race complaints against fellow officers found ‘ no case to answer’ should result in disciplinary action and the total reform of DPS, who track record has consistently failed to identify race compliants and yet disproportionally disciplines black officers.
Carol faced a sustained campaign of racial vilification, the Met removed evidence of racism from her file and then sought to arrest her on child pornography possession.
This disgusting and evil attempt to crush a promising officer who had the temerity, in their view, to challenge police racism, is simply breath taking, staggering in its implications for Black officers and black recruitment into the Met. She was their poster girl and they treated her worse than a dog.
If the Employment Tribunal, in considering Carols case, can issue such a damming verdict, identifying racism and discriminatory treatment, then it beggars belief that neither the DPS, nor the Mayor of London, nor the Commissioner could not identify the overt racism in this extraordinary high profile case.
The ET Chairman blasted Commissioner Hogan Howe's complacency in seeking to dismiss Carols complaint as an 'isolated incident'. Such denial is breathtaking.
This case demonstrates, the utter failure of the DPS and the corporate failure of the Met to tackle engrained institutional racism. Read here how Black and gay officer Kevin Maxwell faced similar racist and homophobic treatment at the hands of the Met.
The fact that the Met no longer believes that it is institutionally racist, is the very reason they failed to recognise Carol Howards complaints. Since that announcement , racism has been given the green light and racist officers have become unashamed and emblodned.
All the officers involved must be now be disciplined, the officers involved in the racial victimisation and those in the DPS who failed Carol so miserably. In addition the DPS is no no longer fit for purpose and must be disbanded and replaced with a new internal investigative body capable of recognising racism,
We tire of hearing the Commissioner trope “ I won’t tolerate racism in the Met”. The facts is in failing to recognise the reality of institutional racism in the Met the Commissioner, the Mayor Boris Johnson have given a green light to racism, that failure is a direct slap in the face to all Black Officers in the Met.
The Mayor and if not him , then the Home Secretary must now order a full and transparent inquiry into the Police internal compliant and investigation process.
This cannot be allowed stand or be brushed under the carpet as a one off' The reality is this case demonstrates that racism and corruption are alive and well at the Met.Its now time for the Metropolitan Black Police Association to take action. I believe they should secure and then publish, the damming transcripts of the Employment Tribunal and should lead a public campaign demanding the Met recognise the reality of institutional racism.
The Met BPA have already publicly expressed their concerns here about full taser roll out and these concerns are amplified in black communities up and down the country.
Further that all the officers involved in this dreadful case should face disciplinary charges and that the DPS be disbanded and replaced with a unit that enjoys the support of black officers.
Black officers can have no confidence in the Met unless radical changes are made now. No more should black officers be forced to pay such a heavy price for confronting racism, whilst their racist white colleagues get away with a toxic level of racism.
The Met BPA have already publicly expressed their concerns here about full taser roll out and these concerns are amplified in black communities up and down the country.
Further that all the officers involved in this dreadful case should face disciplinary charges and that the DPS be disbanded and replaced with a unit that enjoys the support of black officers.
Black officers can have no confidence in the Met unless radical changes are made now. No more should black officers be forced to pay such a heavy price for confronting racism, whilst their racist white colleagues get away with a toxic level of racism.
