Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Met pay out £30k over strip search of Black postal worker
VICTIM WAS ‘CHOKED IN HEADLOCK’ DURING INCIDENT, BUT FORCE DENIES RACISM
THE Met Police has denied allegations of racism after being forced to pay a Black postal worker £30,000 for a stop and search which led to him being strip searched and “choked in a headlock” while he was walking his dog.
Zac Sharif-Ali said he was “choked to the point I feared I might die” and was “stripped naked and humiliated” in the incident on Chiswick Common a decade ago.
Zac told the Observer he was left with “trauma and years of mental health problems” following the incident where he claims he was choked for 90 seconds in a headlock before being taken to a police station and strip-searched.
In the aftermath, his relationship broke down and he lost touch with loved ones.
“It ruined my character, my confidence, my mental state, which affects your ability to obtain work, your ability to seize opportunities.
“I’ve lost everything,” he told the Observer.
The postal worker has been locked in a legal battle since the incident, and the Met finally accepted that the stop and search was illegal last month.
It was found that PC Duncan Bullock was in plain clothes and didn’t properly identify himself when he made the search.
Zac was released without charge later that day.
Zac received £30,000 worth of damages and an apology for the “anxiety and distress” caused by the incident, but there was no apology for the force used. The Met denied that the search was related to the colour of Zac’s skin and that PC Bullock used an unapproved neck restraint and prolonged neck hold.
A letter from the Met’s directorate of professional standards said: “I acknowledge the anxiety and distress this incident caused you and would like to apologise to you on behalf of the Metropolitan Police service.”
Zac says he was walking his dog in the park when he was stopped, and can’t think of any other reason for it other than racism.
He told the Observer: “If I’m doing what everyone else does in a park – walking my dog and eating a sandwich – then which one of my actions gave him any suspicion? I looked casually professional. So, what else is there other than the colour of my skin that would make him think I was doing anything illegal?”
He said he believes racism within the Met “runs through the whole institution” and questioned why no officer was ever disciplined for the incident.
An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) report said the method of restraint used against Zac seemed to be against police training and that other officers called to the park weren’t sure of the motivation for it.
It said force was used on Zac despite the arrest not being on suspicion of drug offences and that Bullock’s account changed over time.
It added that PC Bullock admitted that Zac was struggling to speak while in the hold.
The duty sergeant during the incident told the IOPC she “knew” when PC Bullock went out for his lunch he would “always” conduct a stop and search.
The IOPC found Bullock’s claims that he approached Zac for “hanging around the park” and that Zac was on the phone in a known drug dealing spot “poorly supported”.
The IOPC investigation, which finished in 2017, found Bullock had a case to answer for misconduct for his decision to stop and search then stripsearch Zac, as well as for the allegation of excessive force.
The IOPC noted there was no evidence to support the allegation the search was racially motivated. But the following year, a police misconduct hearing concluded that Bullock had reasonable grounds for the search and had used force legitimately.
Another officer told the IOPC Bullock had put Zac in a headlock, pushed him to the ground and punched him twice in the shoulder while trying to handcuff him.
Bullock told the IOPC he grabbed Zac from behind “by the shoulders and neck” and brought him down on to the ground. However, Zac claims he was speaking to other officers and not resisting.
He said: “Suddenly, it became apparent to me that my airways were being cut off while in this chokehold.”
The Met added: “We do not underestimate the impact the use of stop and search can have, and we are redoubling our efforts to listen, engage and explain why we do what we do, and make improvements based on individuals’ lived experience to build trust in the tactic.”
The Met has come under increasing pressure over its use of stop and search, and particularly strip searches, in recent months, with Black people disproportionately affected.
Data has revealed that 650 children were subjected to strip searches by the force between 2018 and 2020.
It ruined my character, my confidence, my mental state... I’ve lost everything Zac Sharif-Ali