When the Employment Court last year agreed with me that the Metropolitan Police Service had discriminated, harassed and victimised me because of my race and sexuality, the Commissioner promoted one of the main perpetrators from Inspector to Chief Inspector.

Recognition for what?

Yesterday I learned that this year after the Employment Appeal Court agreed with the ruling of the first court that the Met had discriminated, harassed and victimised me because I am black and gay, I learned that the Commissioner has once again promoted the same officer from Chief Inspector to Superintendent with responsibilities for race.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

This is one of the fundamental problems with the Met, and policing in general.

When those in the service who have been found by a Judge or other to have acted unlawfully (you know, breaking the law) towards their colleagues and/or the public they are either promoted or moved into a ‘diversity‘ champion role.

My memoir Broken, looks at this in detail.

Would you put Nick Griffin in charge of the Equality and Human Rights Commission?

It’s one thing me not calling for the sacking of ‘any’ individual officer who has been found guilty of breaking the law against me because leadership is top down and not bottom up, but another to rub it in my face especially since I was ‘hounded‘ out of the job for highlighting discrimination within the ranks by promoting those who have been proven in two courts of law to have failed in their respect towards minorities.

This is what is wrong and goes to the heart of Leadership and Standards in the Police, that officers get away with acting inappropriately because the leaders are doing the same thing.

Putting my case to one side, what message would this send out to others who may have suffered at the hands of the Metropolitan Police?

I may have gotten it wrong, but it seems perverse and puts two fingers up to the Judicial System.

I honestly give up with the Police Commissioner ever learning about the true meaning of equality, and taking note of all that is wrong with the service he heads in this respect.

This all comes under the Institutional problem, which those who are not black and/or gay and whom have never served in the police say does not exist.

 

Kevin Maxwell.