Seven WMP officers given “misconduct notice” for Sikh hate crime

UPDATE:

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.

A statement from 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”.

The statement comes months after the original incident took place in October, which saw a Sikh man issue a complaint about having his patka (religious head covering) removed and stamped on by officer Kashif Shafiq. The news of the misconduct notices was originally revealed by Sikh Youth UK (SYUK), a community activist group supporting the Sikh man at the centre of the incident.

Despite the findings, IOPC Regional Director, Derrick Campbell said the misconduct notice given to seven WMP officers “does not necessarily mean that misconduct proceedings will follow. It is only once our investigation is complete that we will make decisions about whether or not the officers have a case to answer and should face disciplinary proceedings.”

Whilst the outcome of the IOPC investigation continues, questions are arising as to why the video and audio footage of the incident has not been shared publicly, to provide clarity on what exactly happened. Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said of the latest update, “To end questions about what occurred, WMP could simply share footage from the cameras worn by the officers involved in the incident. At some point, especially in consideration of the outcome of the investigation, the footage will need to be revealed.”

With this update, many are wondering why the Metropolitan Police are yet to give any update on complaints about one of their officers punching a Sikh man in the face in an unprovoked attack during last year’s #FarmersProtest #KisaanRally in London, which legal group Kaurs Legal have pushed for.

Read more about Sikh community reaction to the IOPC statement via Unsaid Digital, who spoke to the Sikh Federation UK, Sikh Council UK and Sikh Youth UK. Click here to read.