POLICE FORCE PULLED DOWN BY OFFICERS
(22 October 2003)

Five suspended police officers have resigned after a BBC1 documentary 'The Secret Policeman' exposed racism in the ranks. BBC Journalist Mark Daly went undercover for seven months earlier this year as a trainee officer with Greater Manchester police for the documentary, spending much of his time at the police national training centre in Warrington, Cheshire. Daly was arrested and exposed in August following an anonymous tip-off, but by then he had compiled a dossier of evidence alleging racist behaviour among fellow trainees and one serving officer.

PC Rob Pulling, one of eight officers featured in documentary, who was seen on the documentary wearing a home-made white Ku Klux Klan hood and threatening to harass an Asian recruit, resigned from North Wales Police as a top officer in his force admitted having felt "physically sick" watching the programme.

Another three officers have also resigned from Greater Manchester Police. All three had been suspended over allegations of racist behaviour made in the hour-long documentary. They're believed to be PCs Carl Jones, Tony Lewin and Adrian Harrison.

The National Black Police Association said in a statement that "its members were shocked and disgusted at the racist behaviour displayed by the officers in the documentary". The NBPA is demanding a public enquiry into the processes that have allowed these officers to be recruited.

"Our concerns are about how many racist officers have completed their training and are now our on the streets damaging public confidence in the Service" the NBPA added.

In the past, the association has objected to integrity testing, however they now urge The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to uses whatever means possible to identify and eradicate racism from within the Police Service.

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