Religiously aggravated hate crime by West Midlands Police officer sparks Sikh protest

UPDATE:

Today (03.08.23) the police sergeant being investigated for “gross misconduct” has been cleared for the hate crime of removing the head covering of a Sikh man in custody and then stamping on it. Kashif Shafiq was cleared in a police disciplinary hearing by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) not to have breached professional standards.

Today the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed that a West Midlands police officer behind a hate crime against a Sikh man has been issued with a “gross misconduct” notice, whilst six more have been given a “misconduct notice”. Potential punishment remains pending based on an investigation.

Today (01.08.23) the police misconduct inquiry begins. The case is being investigated by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) in a hearing at Birmingham’s Lloyd House which is expected to last four days.

Today (4.11.21) WMP have issued a formal apology for the incident for “any distress” caused to the Sikh man involved. However, Sikh Federation UK led responses from the Sikh community saying the apology was not enough and that a full dismissal of the officer involved is the only acceptable resolution.

A Sikh gentleman has had his religious head covering removed and stamped on by a West Midlands Police officer sparking protests on Wednesday night at Perry Barr Police station.

Many in the Sikh community are calling the treatment dished out by PC Kashif Shafiq, who is reportedly of Muslim faith, a religiously-motivated hate crime. The Sikh man was apprehended for a motoring offence and was wearing a “Patka” – a thin cloth tied close to the skull like a bandana, which is often worn as a casual or sporty alternative to a traditional Sikh turban. 

West Midlands Police claim that the officer removed the man’s Patka to search for weapons despite the fact that the Patka is a thin garment with very little room for concealing objects and the alleged crime he was stopped for was not violent in nature. He also did not have his clothes searched for weapons at all. 

The Police Force has not addressed the allegations that officer Shafik stamped on the Patka while it lay on the floor, and the Patka was not returned to the Sikh gentleman until after he had been released from questioning.

The incident sparked outrage from the Sikh community and hundreds attended the peaceful protest outside the station on Wednesday night, demanding answers. West Midlands Police has come in for much criticism from the Sikh community in recent times for their involvement in several incidents targeting the Sikh community.

“The way that the Sikh gentleman was treated by the West Midlands Police officer in question was completely unacceptable, irrelevant of what the crime he is purported to have committed,” commented Gurpreet Singh Anand, president of the Sikh Council UK.

“There has been growing animosity between the West Midlands Police and the Sikh community in recent years. The police force seems to be targeting the Sikh community, as is evident with other recent actions taken by them, such as the way they handled the West Midlands 3 extradition and the raids on homes of Sikh activists. 

“For many years we have seen other minority communities report of bias in the police force and the Sikhs are now seeing the same from the West Midlands Police. 

“We are not experiencing the same treatment from other police forces around the country, it appears that there is a clear problem within the West Midlands Police.”