July 2012 unProfessional Standards DepartmentVolume 1, Issue 3 The home of ‘Noble Cause Corruption’

Racism: Fact or Fallacy? The question WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE don’t want to address

The recent BBC File on Four radio programme highlighted racism in the police. Excellently researched by Producer Sally Chesworth, the programme unearthed some disturbing case studies. Two of those were former officers in West Yorkshire Police: Kashif Ahmed and Talib Khan. An unconvincing performance by DCC John Parkinson failed to allay fears that racism is, in fact, prevalent in his Force. Indeed, it is fair to say that of all the interviewees Parkinson sounded much the least credible. A study of the transcript also shows him to be economical with the truth and making statements that border on the incredulous. Apart from the two BME officers who featured in the broadcast, we highlight six other extraordinary cases where the Professional Standards Department (PSD) has pursued vendettas against both BME officers and members of the public.

Cleared South Yorkshire cop tells of “living nightmare”A highly rated, Wakefield based Detective accused of money laundering described his “living nightmare” after being under investigation for three years. Det Insp Shakeel Ahmed was cleared of the nine charges he faced following a prolonged, inept and flawed investigation by West Yorkshire Police. The case against him and four others, which began in 2009, is expected to have cost tax payers more than £1m. The investigation has been described as ‘a masterclass in how not to conduct a criminal investigation’.His wife Clare and three other people who faced similar charges also had no evidence offered against them following legal argument at Leeds Crown Court. Mr Ahmed, who works for South Yorkshire Police, said: “My family have really pulled together in the past three years that this has been hanging over us. It has been a living nightmare. I am also very grateful for the support of my SYP colleagues”.

Samaritan received a beating and racist slurs from police This case features a member of the public, Mr Anwar Gillespie who received a beating and racist slurs from Bradford South officers as his reward for assisting a neighbour as a good Samaritan. What followed was an appallingly inept PSD investigation whose principal feature was the withholding of CCTV evidence in Nelson St Bridewell. The cover up was assisted by some of the weakest R14 interviews in police history. Step forward DC Penny Wheeler. Anwar, assisted by a top police complaint lawyer, eventually received a £15,000 compensation payout and a written apology.

Treated with contempt by policeAnother member of the public, Mr Justin Allen who suffered injustice and was repeatedly mistreated, lied to, evidence withheld and generally treated with contempt by NE Leeds NPT officers. Worse was to follow. He had the misfortune to have DI Peter Howarth investigating his public complaints. This PSD detective is a rogue officer and features in five other complaint cases which will, sooner rather than later, fill a future newsletter all of his own. Justin left the process as an individual thoroughly disenchanted with WYP.

“ a masterclass in how not to conduct a criminal investigation.”

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Deputy Chief Constable John Parkinson “much the

least credible”

July 2012 unProfessional Standards DepartmentVolume 1, Issue 3 The home of ‘Noble Cause Corruption’

Cleared of conspiracyA Bradford detective who was cleared of conspiring to make a false declaration in a high-profile murder case, could still face misconduct proceedings by his force. Detective Constable Wasim Bashir, 39, had been due to stand trial at Sheffield Crown Court with another Bradford man, Mohammed Ahmed. But the case was dropped when the Crown Prosecution Service received new information from the police which led them to conclude it was no longer in the public interest to prosecute. The officer had been suspended for 20 months.

For Queen and CountryFollowing a successful career in the Army serving both Queen and Country David Blair joined West Yorkshire Police and served his local community for 17 years. He was charged with criminal offences when he raised a complaint of racism against a supervisor. He was cleared at Court but West Yorkshire Police sacked him anyway. Numerous white officers have not been sacked despite a number of far more serious matters proved against them. This newsletter contains 5 BME police officers who were investigated by West Yorkshire Police and subsequently cleared at Court. Their cases were lengthy, protracted, disproportionate and costly. Each case involved allegations of racism or impropriety by West Yorkshire Police.

Bradford jury “reached right verdict”Talib Khan, 34, who served as a constable at Trafalgar House police station in Bradford, was yesterday unanimously cleared by a jury at Bradford Crown Court of knowingly selling fake hair straighteners. The whole case was farsically founded and the judge told the jury they had reached the right verdict.Recorder Dean Kershaw also told prosecutor Chris Tonge: “It did strike me you were on a bit of an uphill battle.” The judge said he was not blaming the Crown Prosecution Service in any way,

but sometimes a global look at the evidence was helpful and discretion was always available. Not so, with WYP where BME officers are concerned.

Destruction of key evidenceDetective Constable Murtaza Ahmed has served with West Yorkshire Police in excess of 25 years, latterly in the elite Homicide & Major Enquiry Team (HMET) when he was subjected to a protracted PSD investigation. This farrago was characterised by investigative impropriety, destruction of key evidence, altered PNB, and failure to disclose CCTV evidence which would have cleared Murtaza at an early stage without putting him through the trauma of being investigated. No positive action was taken against the white police officers who lied. In addition to add further insult to injury DC Ahmed’s long service medal was unduly withheld and was not given to him until almost two years later.

Whole process was “tarnished” A Bradford police officer who was cleared of allegations of fraud and deception after a flawed inquiry spanning almost three years, involving over 22 officers and costing an estimated £500,000 was carried out by the West Yorkshire force. Trial Judge HH Peter Benson, ruling in Kashif’s favour and staying the prosecution, found that there was a “very significant irregularity and impropriety at the root of the investigation” and the whole process was “tarnished” and found that Officers had been untruthful and evasive. No mention of any of that by DCC Parkinson in his Radio 4 interview.

Future Editions of uPSDThe next edition, Volume 4, will feature an expose of how inept and essentially dishonest the approach of West Yorkshire Police is to data and information requests. We lift the lid on persistent flouting of the law. Volume 5 will be devoted to five more cases involving ineptitude, incompetence and corrupt or criminal acts of PSD.

Contact usIf you want to get in touch email us at unprofessionalstandards-wyp@yahoo.co.uk You may have a problem or a story about someone you know.

“ It did strike me that the CPS were on a bit of an uphill battle.”

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Sir Norman Bettison has not followed the Met’s lead on “zero tolerance towards

racists”. Why?