Black PC confronts mayor on race

A SERVING Met Police constable has said Black officers are leaving the force in droves after being “disproportionately” investigated for alleged wrongdoing and realising it is not a good place to work.

PC Idominik Efeotor, who serves in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection unit of the Met Police – guarding the House of Commons and politicians – spoke up at a State of London debate with Sadiq Khan on Tuesday night last week. It came just hours after it emerged the Met was being put in “special measures”.

He told the Mayor: “I protect you – I’m one of the men in the blue shirts with the gun. What are you doing to protect Black police officers? They are being investigated disproportionately internally… Officers come in, do their probation, then they realise this isn’t a good place to work.”

Mr Khan thanked PC Efeotor for his service, saying he meets regularly with Black police representatives, adding: “It’s really important we encourage a diversity of people to join the police service.

“We’re working really hard to make sure our police service looks more like Londoners.”

But the mayor admitted Black officers in the force face “more serious consequences” for rule breaches – a form of “indirect discrimination”.

PC Efeotor, from Croydon, added he had witnessed Black officers being “judged” for the music they listen to, while white superiors found it “difficult to communicate with them”, citing a breakdown in relations.

The deputy mayor for policing, Sophie Linden, said the problem of racism “hasn’t really changed over the past few years”, adding: “You’re more likely to be sacked if you’re investigated as a Black officer.”

Ms Linden said there wasn’t a “huge” disproportionality in terms of which officers are leaving by racial background – but there is in terms of misconduct processes.

Baroness Louise Casey is conducting a review into the Met Police’s culture. She said: “A lot of white [superiors] don’t want to deal with Black officers [informally] for fear of being called racist… They put them more readily into misconduct processes.”

PC Efeotor spoke out at the “trauma” of Black officers being repeatedly investigated. He was met with applause when he told the audience: “I’ve been investigated several times – that’s never going to stop me being a police officer – I came here to help people.”

While in special measures, the Met Police will be scrutinised and supported more to make improvements, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), which investigates police and fire services, said on Tuesday last week.

The force has come under fire for a number of issues in the past year, from its response to the murder of Sarah Everard by officer Wayne Couzens, rape and sexual assault allegations by officers at Charing Cross police station, and the strip-search of a Black teenage schoolgirl without supervision.

The Home Secretary and Mr Khan are currently recruiting a new commissioner to lead the force, after Dame Cressida Dick was forced out by the mayor over an alleged failure to tackle its “rotten” culture.

PC Idominik Efeotor