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Bal Singh meets Blair ay Chester House
TOP COP’S RACE CHARGE
Steve Hammond29/ 6/2006
ONE of the highest ranking Asian officers in Greater Manchester
Police force is taking his employers to a tribunal alleging racial
discrimination.
Detective Inspector Bal Singh, who has has been decorated for his
service to the police, is suspended and has been under
investigation for eight months.
He was arrested by the GMP internal investigations department last
November and accused of money laundering.
The charge was dropped in February but despite this he says he is
still threatened with disciplinary action over two minor traffic
offences.
His case has become a source of anger and concern among the Asian
community and, among Asian and black officers in GMP who feel his
ordeal is being prolonged un-necessarily.
But GMP deeny these charges and say they will "robustly" defend the
force against any allegations of racial discrimination at an
employment tribunal.
Officers who are angry over Inspector Singh's suspension contrast
his treatment to that of Detective Inspector David Smith who was
criticised at the inquiry into mass murderer Harold Shipman for
errors that contributed to the Tameside doctor's ability to kill
his last three victims.The Independent Police Complaints Commission
(IPPC) investigated Inspector Smith's role in the Shipman case. It
ruled that no disciplinary action should be taken against
him.
But the IPPC commissioner for the north west Naseem Malik said in
her report that this was because the GMP had advised that the
allegations against Inspector Smith would be "hard to prove" partly
because police witnesses were not willing or able to give evidence
in the case.
Colleagues of Inspector Singh say the approach in his case is
markedly different, with the serious allegations of money
laundering dropped, but with traffic offences, one of speeding and
another involving an unpaid parking ticket, dredged up to prolong
his agony.
Inspector Singh was arrested in the small hours of 1 November last
year at the start of the Diwali festival. Investigating officers
had gained access to his bank account and wanted to know why sums
of money had been moved in an out.
Inspector Singh told them, like many Asians and as a part of his
culture, he was a member of a 'kamette' club where a group of
individuals pay in regular amounts of money into a central fund
with each taking turns to draw cash out for their own use.
But after satisfying investigators that he was not guilty of
serious fraud, the two driving offences were used as the basis for
continuing his suspension.
His arrest took place 10 days before he was to take the last stage
of a Home Office career development scheme which would have allowed
him to reach the rank of superintendent. This suspension prevented
his attendance.
The whole matter of discipline and race is now a controversial
issue within GMP.
A recent internal report admitted that a "disproportionate" number
of visible minority ethnic (VME) police officers had been involved
in disciplinary proceedings.
It found that while Asian and black officers make-up four per cent
of GMP they make-up more that 10 per cent of the officers subject
to disciplinary investigations.
The report advances reasons why this might be the case speculating
that investigators may have a conscious or unconscious racist
approach but adds there is no evidence to support such a
conclusion.
At the same time in London a report commissioned by the
Metropolitan Police alleges Muslim officers are more likely than
non-Muslims to be corrupt.
A senior Asian officer who compiled the report suggested that
cultural traditions may account for higher levels of corruption
among Asians.
It argued that Pakistani origin officers in particular were under
pressure because they were expected to finance their entire
extended family.
The report has caused widespread outrage among Asian and black
officers in the Met.
Keith Jarrett, the President of the National Black Police
Association which represents some 8,000 Asian and Afro Caribbean
officers, said he "totally disagreed" with the report's
conclusion.
He added: "My finding is that the Met needs to start getting itself
in order regarding discrimination. To me it is another example of
institutional racism that is permeated through the police
service."
A spokeswoman for GMP said: "It would not be appropriate for us to
comment on these matters as they are believed to form part of the
case the officer is bringing before an employment tribunal. However
we will be robustly defending the force at the hearing."
High flyer chosen to greet Blair
BAL Singh is one of only a few Asian or black members of
the Greater Manchester Police force to rise through the ranks to
become an Inspector.
Up until his suspension the 38-year-old had an outstandingly
successful career recognised when he was chosen to greet Tony Blair
when he visited GMP headquarters recently.
He joined the force in 1989 and served as a PC in south Manchester
becoming the first officers to wear a turban on duty in the
north.
After six years on the beat he became one of the youngest sergeants
in the force.
A year later he joined the CID and was appointed head of the family
support unit investigating suspicious child deaths, child abuse and
domestic violence.
On being promoted to inspector he became the force's local
authority liaison officer working with the city council on
campaigns to reduce crime.
He is also a recognised national expert in relation to the
investigations of murder and has worked with various serious crime
squads in different forces throughout the UK.
He led an investigation into the arrest of two doctors for a major
fraud which involved him conducting enquires abroad.
He has received various community awards and was awarded the
Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for his services to the force.
He passed stage one and two of the Home Office's high potential
development scheme which identifies officers with the ability to
reach chief constable and superintendent rank. But he was denied
the right to take the final interview stage because of his
suspension.
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