Undercover officers get payout from police after blowing whistle

TWO UNDERCOVER West Yorkshire Police officers who were moved into back-office roles after raising concerns about sexism and unsafe practices in their unit have received payouts totalling nearly £100,000 from the force.

The two police constables were successful in their claim at an employment tribunal in 2015 that they were sidelined by Yorkshire’s biggest police force after exposing wrongdoing.

West Yorkshire Police appealed the original employment tribunal’s findings of victimisation, but the decision was upheld and a hearing has calculated the damages each should receive.

The settlements, which include payments for more than 2,400 hours of overtime, come to more than £96,000.

In a joint statement, both officers said they were relieved their ordeal was over, but were still waiting for an apology from the force. While one of the officers has now been redeployed as a uniformed policeman, the other says he was left with no choice but to quit.

They said: “Our policing career as we knew it is finished and all because we chose to voice our concerns rather than turn a blind eye. The whole experience has been incredibly stressful and upsetting and it has taken its toll on us and our families. At times we felt like both were at breaking point.

“What hurts the most is that there has been no apology, no attempts to address the problems recognised by the tribunal, and that is disappointing to think that lessons haven’t been learned, that this kind of victimisation may still go on.”

West Yorkshire Police declined to comment.