Black police inspector ‘no choice’ but to sue Met over racial harassment
black police inspector has said he has no choice but to sue the Metropolitan Police for racial harassment after two white officers stopped him while he was driving.
Charles Ehikioya said he had recorded the incident, which happened as he returned from work in south London on May 23, because he could see that the officer’s body-worn camera was not on. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday he said he was pulled over for no other reason than the fact he was black.
When asked why he had decided to sue the force for racial harassment the 55-yearold said that he had “no choice” because his complaint was not taken seriously.
He added: “In my view it’s not the whole organisation that’s like that, it’s only a few individuals that are causing this issue.”
The Met said in a statement that they had received an internal complaint on May 24 but a review “found no evidence of misconduct”.
The incident took place in Croydon as Mr Ehikioya was driving home, with one of the officers saying he had been stopped due to his speed and because “it looked like he had gone through a red light”.
The officer also asked for
Mr Ehikioya’s driving licence as well as proof that he was insured to drive the car, that the vehicle had not been stolen, that he was not intoxicated and that he not been using his phone.
He said that Mr Ehikioya’s driving had been “unusual”, which the inspector strongly disputed, according to the recording.
The two officers left the scene after Mr Ehikioya informed them he was a serving cola league and showed them his police badge. When asked why he thought he was pulled over, Mr Ehikioya said: “The reason that I feel I was pulled over was no other reason than the fact that they seen a black man driving a car.”
The complaint comes amid renewed criticism of police use of stop and search powers, with Labour MP Dawn Butler claiming she was racially profiled by officers in Hackney, east London.