'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH' SAY THE NATION'S ETHNIC POLICE
(8 October 2003)

Despite several attempts by the National Black Police Association to put forward resolutions in order to put to an end the fiasco surrounding operation 'Helios' (an investigation into Superintendent Ali Dizaei), the discussions collapsed today.

The National Black Police Association are bitterly disappointed that the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) has failed to learn lessons from pursuing a witch hunt against a highly respected Black senior officer and other serving black members of staff. Ray Powell president elect of the NBPA said “ I cannot believe the intransigence of the MPS in continuing with operation Helios in spite of the overwhelming concerns, criticisms and findings regarding the huge costs, disproportionality, accountability and integrity of this ‘witch hunt’. Enough is enough our members throughout the country will not tolerate any more abuse of their rights and that of the ‘black communities’”.

As a measure of its resolve, members of the NBPA and the black communities will descend on London on the 17th November in a gathering of solidarity. Further to this the NBPA will not endorse any recruitment drive for Black officers initiated by the MPS and as of today it will actively discourage potential recruits from joining the Metropolitan Police.

NO MORE RECRUITMENT & POSITIVE ACTION INITIATIVES

On 16th September 2003, the NBPA announced that Forces who do not take reasonable steps to stop serious cases of racism and victimisation of their black staff will lose the support of the Association in all recruitment & positive action initiatives. It is vital that forces demonstrate a commitment to stamping out racism that plagues the lives of serving black staff in the service. The Association said that it would be irresponsible for the NBPA to support recruitment from the Black and Asian communities in the knowledge that such recruits are at risk of suffering racism.

Ravi Chand President of the NBPA said “The NBPA fully supports the position of the Metropolitan Black Police Association in withdrawing from all force recruitment & positive action initiatives until a number of measures are taken to protect their members from racism, following the collapse of the Ali Dizaei trial. This is the first time such action has ever been taken in this country by a BPA and I hope we will not have to repeat it in other force areas.”

CASE AGAINST SUPERINTENDENT ALI DAZEI

Mr Chand's comments came during a press conference held on 15th September to discuss the collapse of the Ali Dizaei investigation. A £7 million investigation collapsed (Wednesday 10th September 2003) when the CPS finally withdrew the allegations against Superintendent Dr Ali Dizaei. This followed an earlier defeat after Dr Dizaei was acquitted at the Old Bailey on 10th April 2003 over other criminal charges.

Operation Helios has been an un-mitigating disaster for the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service who set out to bring convictions for alleged serious acts of criminality against one of the most respected senior minority police officers in the country.

After a four year investigation involving 44 officers, use of phone taps and intrusive surveillance, Dr Dizaei was brought before the Old Bailey in March this year, in a bizarre case, over the accuracy of where Dizaei's car was parked when unknown offenders vandalised it. Such a case against a victim of crime had previously been unheard of. After a two month trial costing the tax payer £1 million (trial costs alone), the jury took less than 2 hours to reach a unanimous not guilty verdict.

Dizaei was treated as an ‘enemy of the State’ in one of the most elaborate and bizarre investigations of a serving Black Senior Police officer tipped to become the first Black Chief Constable. On the 18th January 2001 Superintendent Dr. Ali Dizaei was suspended from police duty for allegations of serious misconduct and criminality. What followed was a series of allegations of sex; drugs and rock ‘n’ roll which deeply damaged Dizaei’s standing before his peers and community.

The Metropolitan Police and the CPS then decided to prosecute Dizaei with 8 counts of alleged excessive mileage claims totalling £400 over 5 years, a matter normally dealt with under local discipline, this too collapsed on Wednesday.

To the NBPA this was not about Dizaei but a test for the Black Police Association and its ability or inability to mobilise against injustice.

" The Metropolitan Police have learnt nothing from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry not to mention it’s own internal cases of Singh, Michael, Locker, Verdi and Logan. The criminalisation of the main ”culprit” Ali Dizaei would be announced as a resounding victory for the Service. Clearly it has been an un-mitigating disaster for the Metropolitan Police" stated the NBPA.

The President of The NBPA Ravi Chand said "The NBPA will be calling for an inquiry into the conduct of the investigating officers in pursuing such an expensive investigation and prosecution in the absence of evidence. I question the motives of those officers in pursuing Superintendent Dizaei in the most bizarre and expensive internal investigation ever heard of. An innocent and highly respected man has had his life turned upside due to the actions of a handful of metropolitan police officers."

The Association added that an immediate Public Inquiry into the handling of this and other investigations by the Met's internal anti-corruption department CIB was needed.

"Enough is enough somebody needs to demonstrate leadership now that Superintendent Dizaei has been cleared of all criminal allegations. It would be unfair and unjust to put him through an internal discipline hearing behind closed doors before his very oppressors." The NBPA demanded:

• The MPS drop all disciplinary allegations immediately.
• An Independent Public Inquiry to hold the Met to account in the way they investigate such matters and spends millions of pounds of taxpayers money in doing so.
• The service of Regulation 9 notices and suspension of those officers who have abused their powers to make a case ‘stick’. This should include senior officers behind operation Helios.
• An Apology for the ordeal that Superintendent Dr. Ali Dizaei and his family have been put through, including the damage to his career.
• The immediate re-instatement of Superintendent Dr. Ali Dizaei to the Metropolitan Police.

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