Black police officer takes action after 'clearly racist' colleagues stop his car as he drives home from work
Inspector Charles Ehikioya has served with the Met for more than two decades.
Tuesday 18 August 2020 23:40, UK
A black Met Police inspector has made a formal complaint after he was stopped in his car by his colleagues.
Inspector Charles Ehikioya was pulled over by Met officers in Croydon, south London on 23 May, the force said.
The officers decided to stop him on the way home from his shift because they thought he was speeding and may have run through a red light, a spokesman added.
But Inspector Ehikioya, who has worked for the Met for more than two decades, has lodged a complaint of racial harassment over claims of "racial profiling".
His letter reads: "The officers did not believe or did not care that I was an officer, because I am black.
"They are both clearly racist police officers pretending to be polite whilst falsely accusing me without any evidence whatsoever of having committed serious criminal and road traffic act offences."
After reviewing bodycam footage of the incident, the Metropolitan Police's directorate of professional standards "found no evidence of misconduct or racism".
Commander Alison Heydari said: "The review found no evidence at all of racial profiling. There have been comments reported today that these officers, who carried out the stop, are 'clearly racist' and even 'two active racists'.
"I cannot say strongly enough how wholly unfair that is based upon the evidence and the review carried out.
"These officers were simply doing their job and carried out the stop in a polite and professional manner. All officers involved in this incident, including the officer who raised the concerns, are being supported."
Inspector Ehikioya was not arrested and no further action was taken.
Lawrence Davies of Equal Justice Solicitors, the firm representing him, told Paste BN there is "ingrained racism" in the Met.
He said: "In this case, you appear to have two active racists, and the question then is will the MPS become complicit or discipline them?
"There are only very few active racists, so we have to tackle the complicit who institutionalise the issue."
It comes after Labour MP Dawn Butler was stopped by Met officers in east London, sparking claims of racial profiling and institutional racism.
The same force apologised to sprinter Bianca Williams after she and her partner Ricardo dos Santos were stopped and handcuffed while their three-month-old son was in the car.
Both incidents were referred to the police watchdog.
A spokesperson the Met Police said: "While we do not underestimate the impact that stops of any kind have on the community, securing and maintaining the trust of the public is integral to the principle of policing by consent and to continue to do so, we recognise that our staff must act with professionalism and integrity."