Eight police officers suspended over ‘deeply concerning’ racism allegations

Eight officers have been suspended by Greater Manchester Police over alleged racial discrimination.

Another officer has been placed on restricted duties, while the force has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the force said today.

The details of the accusation have not been released, but the reports have been described as ‘deeply concerning’ by GMP.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Allen, head of its professional standards directorate, said: ‘I hope to reassure the community of Bury, the wider public, and the GMP workforce that a full and thorough investigation is being conducted into these matters.’

All but one of the suspended officers are from Bury district. The other is from Rochdale but was working there at the time of the allegations.

These aren’t the first suspensions to rock the district this month, prompting GMP to temporarily relocate officers there to cover duties.

Earlier this month, the force suspended five officers and placed two on restricted duties, on July 17.

It made another mandatory referral to the IOPC in relation to that case on July 4, with the watchdog starting an investigation the next day.

The claim in this case is that officers ‘openly engaged in conversations and either used, or failed to challenge, offensive language’, according to the IOPC.

Regional director Catherine Bates said: ‘This type of behaviour has the potential to undermine the public’s confidence and trust in policing, in addition to the impact it has on officers who conduct themselves with integrity.

‘We will conduct a thorough investigation to establish the evidence and ensure any discriminatory behaviour is dealt with appropriately.

‘This does not necessarily mean conduct proceedings or criminal charges will follow and the status of all officers will remain under review throughout the investigation.’

Greater Manchester Police is already under scrutiny after an unrelated incident at Manchester Airport on Tuesday last week.

Footage from that incident shows a police officer kicking a man in the face before stomping on his head as he lay on the ground after being tasered.

One officer has been suspended from duties and is under criminal investigation, facing possible assault charges, after GMP referred itself to the IOPC.

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