September 18 (IANS) According to a former police officer of the West Midlands Police in the UK, some of the department’s employees frequently called Sikhs racist insults and referred to Malala Yousafzai as “tikka masala.”
Rebecca Kalam, who spent 10 years in the guns division of the police before quitting in July of this year, said in a recent interview with Channel 4 that other officers made racial comments about people wearing turbans and didn’t care to understand the differences between Sikhs and Muslims.
Malala Yousafzai was transported to the UK for treatment after being shot by Taliban terrorists in Pakistan, and Kalam made a number of inflammatory statements about her security personnel calling her “tikka masala.”It’s hardly surprising that Ms. Kalam, the whistleblower, made such appalling accusations of prejudice against the West Midlands Police.
According to Jas Singh, adviser to the Sikh Federation, the West Midlands Sikh community has been making similar complaints and accusations for decades, but they have always been ignored by the police.Despite meetings with an elected PCC (Police and Crime Commissioner) and changes to senior officers, nothing appears to change except for things becoming worse, according to Singh.For a thorough, root-and-branch inquiry and review of the behaviour and racial attitudes and practises in the police, Singh said the community has called on West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and PCC Simon Foster.
In the 235-person unit of the second-largest police force in the UK, Kalam—one of just seven female officers—complained of toxic masculinity and sexism, where objectification of women was pervasive and male officers often used the C-word.
“West Midlands Police need to evaluate the situation seriously inside the unit. Only from my own experience can I talk. My career is over. The 40-year-old said to Channel 4 that, “I am standing up because it is the right thing to do.”According to Channel 4, the West Midlands Police have taken 75 of Kalam’s complaints.
According to the new channel, the police force revealed that 16 officers and employees received “low-level sanctions or advice” as a result of an investigation into the guns section by the Professional Standards Department.The deputy chief constable of the West Midlands Police Force, Scott Green, was quoted in BriminghamLive as saying, “Officers and staff in the Firearms Unit work tirelessly, often in the most dangerous situations, to protect the public and perform their duties with the utmost professionalism. They are disgusted at any conduct which falls below these standards of professional behaviour.”
According to Green, the force is collaborating closely with the Sikh communities in the area as well as the West Midlands Police Sikh Association in order to “understand diverse groups and communities to ensure we treat everyone with dignity and respect.”According to Green, community and religious leaders often gather to discuss and resolve difficulties.
She said, “There is no place for disrespectful, sexist, or discriminatory conduct in law enforcement, and we are working hard to establish and uphold the greatest standards.
