Police chief delivers BNP warning

By Ciaran Fagan | Thursday, 29 July 2004 | Click here for original article

Leicestershire's chief constable today vowed to sack any police officer who joins the British National Party or any far right group.

Matt Baggott today also issued a stern warning to any members of the party considering joining the force, after the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) announced a ban in England and Wales last night.

Chief officers say membership of a far-right party contradicts the forces' commitment to police communities fairly and impartially.

Mr Baggott, who is ACPO spokesman on race issues and has been involved in drafting the policy, also pledged to investigate any reports of current officers or civilian support staff being members of the party.

The ban, which comes into effect immediately, has been welcomed by anti-racism campaigners and Leicestershire community leaders. Mr Baggott said: "We can't have members of the police service, whether they are civilians or officers, being members of organisations which contradict our legal requirement to promote racial equality or would give the impression they are not acting impartially.

"I think this policy will be immensely reassuring both to the public in a diverse community like Leicestershire and to police staff who do not want to work with people who undermine our values.

"We are making the boundaries absolutely clear and I think the average person in the street would applaud our decision to sack these people. It is immaterial whether they are a legal political party or not. Our duty is to promote racial equality."

The decision to introduce the ban follows an undercover investigation broadcast by the BBC.

The broadcast showed members of the BNP expressing deeply racist views.

Ranvir Singh Dosanjh, secretary of the Leicestershire Black Police Association (BPA), said: "We are fully behind the chief constable on this. The documentary shown on BBC1 recently confirmed exactly what members of ethnic minority communities in Leicestershire already knew about the BNP."

Pc Dosanjh said the association had received no reports of any police officers or civilian staff being members of racist organisations

The Rt Rev Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, said: "The recent BBC exposure demonstrated that significant numbers of leaders of the BNP have deeply racist views.

"Those views are absolutely abhorrent to mainstream democratic opinion.

"It is not appropriate for people who are public servants in sensitive areas like the police service to be identified with a publicly racist organisation."