iFocusNews.com
06-18-2005, 08:56 PM
(TELEGRAPH)
Scotland Yard failed to investigate fully an allegation by a white woman of a rape involving an officer from an ethnic minority because of concerns that it would be accused of racism.
Despite a secret two-year investigation into the woman's complaint, the officer, who was accused of being party to an incident in which the victim claims she was drugged before being raped, has never been interviewed or questioned because of fears that an inquiry would be seen as "a racist witch-hunt".
In cases of rape allegations it is normal procedure for anyone involved in the alleged incident to be interviewed under caution before a decision is taken on whether to press charges. In this instance, however, the Metropolitan Police was said to have been "walking on eggshells" in the wake of the Macpherson Report, published in 1999, which said that the force was "institutionally racist".
As a result, the matter was never put to the officer - who serves with the Metropolitan Police and whose identity is known to this newspaper - because of fears that he would accuse the force of pursuing him for racist reasons.
The revelation of the woman's claim comes after a week in which the Metropolitan Police has faced multiple accusations of racism.
At an industrial tribunal last week, the Commissioner Sir Ian Blair faced accusations of "politically correct meddling" in a disciplinary case involving white officers. He was said to have been keen to make examples of the officers, who faced charges of racist behaviour, even though an inquiry had already cleared them.
That charge is overshadowed by the latest unprecedented revelation, however, which demonstrates the extraordinary lengths to which the Metropolitan Police is prepared to go to accommodate officers from ethnic minorities.
The rape complaint, which the force has attempted to keep secret for four years, was considered so sensitive that Sir Ian, then Deputy Commissioner, oversaw the inquiry himself.
(CONTINUED (http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/19/nmet19.xml))
Scotland Yard failed to investigate fully an allegation by a white woman of a rape involving an officer from an ethnic minority because of concerns that it would be accused of racism.
Despite a secret two-year investigation into the woman's complaint, the officer, who was accused of being party to an incident in which the victim claims she was drugged before being raped, has never been interviewed or questioned because of fears that an inquiry would be seen as "a racist witch-hunt".
In cases of rape allegations it is normal procedure for anyone involved in the alleged incident to be interviewed under caution before a decision is taken on whether to press charges. In this instance, however, the Metropolitan Police was said to have been "walking on eggshells" in the wake of the Macpherson Report, published in 1999, which said that the force was "institutionally racist".
As a result, the matter was never put to the officer - who serves with the Metropolitan Police and whose identity is known to this newspaper - because of fears that he would accuse the force of pursuing him for racist reasons.
The revelation of the woman's claim comes after a week in which the Metropolitan Police has faced multiple accusations of racism.
At an industrial tribunal last week, the Commissioner Sir Ian Blair faced accusations of "politically correct meddling" in a disciplinary case involving white officers. He was said to have been keen to make examples of the officers, who faced charges of racist behaviour, even though an inquiry had already cleared them.
That charge is overshadowed by the latest unprecedented revelation, however, which demonstrates the extraordinary lengths to which the Metropolitan Police is prepared to go to accommodate officers from ethnic minorities.
The rape complaint, which the force has attempted to keep secret for four years, was considered so sensitive that Sir Ian, then Deputy Commissioner, oversaw the inquiry himself.
(CONTINUED (http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/19/nmet19.xml))