Tarique Ghaffur 'relieved of duties' at Scotland Yard
Tarique Ghaffur, Britain's most senior Asian police officer, has been relieved of his duty by the Metropolitan Police, the Daily Telegraph can disclose.

By Richard Edwards and Robert Winnett
Last Updated: 3:00PM BST 09 Sep 2008

Assistant Commissioner, Tarique Ghaffur, has been put on authorised leave Photo: PA
The Assistant Commissioner, who announced an unprecedented race claim against Sir Ian Blair last month, was summoned to Scotland Yard and told he would be put on "gardening leave".

It is the latest twist in a damaging "civil war" which has undermined Sir Ian's leadership of Britain's largest force and led last week to new claims that the Commissioner would be forced out of his job by Christmas.

It will also intensify an acrimonious race row, with Mr Ghaffur likely to claim that being suspended from Scotland Yard is further evidence of his victimisation.

It is understood he will remain on his £180,000-a-year salary pending the outcome of the tribunal and the end of his contract next May.

Meanwhile the Met's Professional Standards Committee has called for an investigation into whether Mr Ghaffur breached disciplinary codes by staging a televised press conference to announce his race claim.

Although his departure will be met with some relief at Scotland Yard, where some in the senior ranks had said they felt they could no longer work closely with Mr Ghaffur, it exposes one of the most senior roles in national policing.

As the Met's "No.3" he attended Sir Ian's "cabinet" meetings three times a week and was head of a unit which oversees security planning for the 2012 Olympics and the Met's firearms teams. It is also embarrassing for Sir Ian - a champion of "diversity" - that there are now no ethnic minority officers above the rank of Commander in the Met. The two most senior are Cmdr Shabhir Hussain, who last week lost his own race case after claiming he was denied promotion four times, and Cmdr Ali Dizaei, who has strongly backed Mr Ghaffur in his claim.

One high-ranking source said: "There has been a complete breakdown in trust and having gone public with his claims it was only right that Tarique stepped aside from his role pending the tribunal. It was an untenable situation but this whole episode is very sad for the Met and Tarique."

Mr Ghaffur's lawyers said he had been considering his position because he received death threats after directly accusing the Commissioner of being a racist, an accusation he strongly denies.

He employed private bodyguards and chose not to notify colleagues of the threats because he felt that he could no longer trust the Met to protect him, his lawyers claimed.

The Ugandan born 53-year-old, who joined the police service in 1974 after coming to Britain as a teenage refugee, is expected to issue a statement later.

Mr Ghaffur's contact was due to run until May next year. Having served more than 30 years, he is eligible to retire immediately and receive a lump sum payout of £522,000 and an index-linked pension of £85,000 a year.

The Assistant Commissioner lodged his race complaint at an employment tribunal on August 22. It was his decision to give a televised press conference to air his grievances which caused consternation within Scotland Yard.

Sir Paul Stephenson, the Met's Deputy Commissioner, issued an instant rebuke, telling Mr Ghaffur and all in the force to "shut up" and get on with the job they were paid to do.

Mr Ghaffur was "taken aback" by the level of aggression towards him, which he said had made him reconsider his position.

He issued a statement which said: "In light of the tone of Sir Paul Stephenson's statement, I am now extremely concerned for my personal safety and those close to me including family and supporters alike.

"As a direct consequence of the manner and delivery of comments such as 'shut up and get on with your job', together with the animosity he has generated, I am forced to reconsider my position with the Metropolitan police force."

He added: "The difficult question remains whether it is tenable for me to remain in my position, given I consider there is now a very serious risk of harm to both myself and those close to me."

Mr Ghaffur has also been upset by revelations about his private life. His lawyers last week confirmed they were acting for him in a "marital dispute" with his second wife, Shehla, but denied that any divorce papers had been served.

Shahrokh Mireskandari, of Dean & Dean solicitors, said: "We are acting for Tarique in relation to this matter. It is a matrimonial dispute, no divorce proceedings have been issued."

The tribunal, which is expected to be heard next year, threatens to plunges the force into its worst racism row since the 1998 Macpherson report branded the force "institutionally racist''.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2711267/Tarique-Ghaffur-relieved-of-duties-at-Scotland-Yard.html

Civil war within the Met police

By Barnie Choudhury
BBC News



There have been internal conflicts with the Metropolitan Police

Senior members of the Met Black Police Association are taking counter surveillance measures because of fears of being spied on by fellow officers, the BBC has learned.

This latest twist in the row between the Metropolitan Police and some ethnic minority officers sounds like something from the pages of a spy novel.

The difference is: it happens to be real.

Officers in the same police organisation are meeting at undisclosed times and at secret locations to avoid surveillance. They are buying pay-as-you go phones to prevent conversations being tapped, and they are having their offices swept daily for electronic bugs.

All this is according to three separate sources at the Met Black Police Association.

So are they being paranoid? No, they say.

Instead, they point to the two-year investigation into Commander Ali Dizaei. It was codenamed Operation Helios. Dr Dizaei has been the victim of what we believe to be the culmination of a sustained witch-hunt

Alfred John
Met BPA chairman

During the inquiry the Met unlawfully tapped more than 3,000 of his phone calls.

They also put him under hundreds of hours of surveillance.

It cost the tax payer between £4m and £7m. In 2003 Dr Dizaei was eventually cleared and brought back to the Met.

Police tactics

Those to whom I have spoken describe what is going on in the Met as "Operation Helios 2". But this time, say sources, they are ready.

"There is a constant battle", said one officer who did not wish to be named "and it's the systematic failure within the organisation.

"It's an attempt to crush any challenge, any dissent, by black and Asian officers."

Some members of the Met BPA are going further.

Whenever there is a critical incident, such as a hostage situation, the police set up a command structure - the so-called Gold, Silver and Bronze command.

Another source said a similar system had been set up by BPA members "so we can react to any on going situation.

"That means we were ready for Ali to be suspended and we reacted accordingly."

In other words, they are using their police training to take on their own organisation.

'Witch-hunt'

So what did the BPA do when Commander Dizaei was suspended? They severed links with senior managers and refused to take part in all meetings.

Using their media contacts they got out their key message - they had no confidence in the leadership at Scotland Yard.

Unnecessary comment is not helpful and we have taken the view that less said in public is better



Metropolitan Police



Earlier this week ,the Met BPA chairman, Alfred John, said he and other members would only attend meetings concerning the reinstatement of Dr Dizaei.

He said: "Dr Dizaei has been the victim of what we believe to be the culmination of a sustained witch-hunt.

"Dr Dizaei had not received a single complaint for over four years and yet, within the last three weeks, three complaints have materialised."

The Met responded by issuing this statement: "We have seen a number of comments over recent weeks from Mr John and we do not recognise his description of what is happening in the Metropolitan Police Service and Metropolitan Police Authority.

"We are committed to trying to resolve matters with the BPA, if possible. Unnecessary comment is not helpful and we have taken the view that less said in public is better."

Tribunal

And this message was repeated on Sunday. This latest news will put the focus back on the Met leadership.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur - one of the officers who is third in command - is alleging racial and religious discrimination by his boss, Sir Ian Blair.

Mr Ghaffur is now on gardening leave and further revelations could end up being aired publicly at an employment tribunal.

Many Londoners will be reading the almost daily reports with more than raised eyebrows. They will also be wondering just when the apparent civil war inside the Met will end.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7628028.stm

Says it all doesnt it,

Well its nothing new but I know the Black Mets will sort themselves out.

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