PC who sued Cleveland Police over racist harassment wins payout

The Guardian and Metro report on the award granted to PC Nadeem Saddique in his tribunal case against Cleveland Police over allegations of racism.

PC Saddique, who trained as a firearms officer and worked as a VIP Close Protection Officer, guarding members of the Royal Family and former PM Tony Blair, has been engaged in a dispute with Cleveland Police amid claims of racist harassment and failure to implement an agreed personal development plan.

PC Saddique initially took up his case against Cleveland Police in 2011, taking the police force to a tribunal over racism, harassment and bullying claims. He settled out of court on the basis that his VIP protection status would be restored and a career progression plan implemented as part of the settlement. But PC Saddique claimed the terms of settlement were not honoured by Cleveland Police forcing him to seek redress via a tribunal.

Saddique claimed officers based at Cleveland Police suggested he was not suitable for duties in firearms protection. He also alleges officers referred to him as a “P***” and a “black c***”.

Saddique claims the abusive words were revealed to him by a fellow officer who told him how colleagues had spoken disparagingly about him in his absence. One officer is alleged to have said: “I’ll get that black c*** out of firearms, watch.” The officer to whom he said this is said to have replied, “Who does he think he is, he is just a P***.”

PC Saddique also claimed an officer had an English Defence League sticker, which made reference to Muslims and a crusade, on their holster, but that this was not properly investigated by the force.

The Guardian notes a remedy hearing in Middlesbrough concluded PC Saddique should receive “more than £457,000 for his ordeal, which meant he could no longer be a police officer.”
Speaking after the ruling, the former firearms officer said: “This has been a lengthy and extremely difficult process, which has taken a serious toll on my health and my family.

“I never wanted it to go as far as a tribunal, but after experiencing problems with discrimination for a number of years within the force and exhausting all avenues internally without success, I had to do something.

“I hope the hearing this week will finally enable me to put the whole episode behind me.”