It's a bad news day for the Met as the unfortunate Det Sgt Gurpal Virdi publicly advises potential ethnic minority recruits to London's police force to think twice about it.
Det Sgt Virdi has undeniably had a torrid time. Accused of instigating a foul racist internal hate mail campaign he was exonerated by a tribunal in 2002 and won compensation for being a victim of racial discrimination as well as a personal apology from the Met Commissioner. He vowed to return to work to fight racism from inside the force. Rejected for promotion in 2005 he filed a victimisation and racial discrimination claim against his employers, alleging that the Met was treating him "less favourably" in the light of the earlier litigation. He has now won the claim for victimisation but claims of racial discrimination were dismissed.
However, whilst the Met is sending careers officers to the Eid celebrations in Trafalgar Square on 20th October, winning awards for recruitment advertising directed at people from ethnic minorities and pitching up in a bus at MacDonalds in Southall this is clearly a sad and potentially damaging message from a 48 year old family man with a 25 year career in the police. His is just one case, of course, but we can't help thinking that any promotion secured now will always be tainted with the PC tag. His determination to continue his police career however, is a brave one.
Image courtesy of stpiduko's Flickstream.
