Former UK Cop Alleges Fellow Officers Targeted Sikhs, Called Malala ¡®Tikka Masala¡¯
Rebecca Kalam, who worked in the police's firearms unit for a decade before resigning in July this year, disclosed in a recent interview with Channel 4 that her fellow officers would make derogatory comments about people wearing turbans, and they didn't take the time to distinguish between Sikhs and Muslims.
A former police officer from the West Midlands Police in the UK said that some of her colleagues often used racist language when talking about Sikhs and called Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai 'tikka masala'.
Rebecca Kalam, who worked in the police's firearms unit for a decade before resigning in July this year, disclosed in a recent interview with Channel 4 that her fellow officers would make derogatory comments about people wearing turbans, and they didn't take the time to distinguish between Sikhs and Muslims.
One of the shocking statements that Kalam made was that the security officers assigned to protect Malala Yousafzai, who came to the UK for treatment after being shot by the Taliban in Pakistan, called her 'tikka masala'.
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Jas Singh, an advisor to the Sikh Federation, spoke to the BirminghamLive news website and said,
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"These shocking allegations of racism made by whistle-blower Ms. Kalam against the West Midlands Police come as no surprise. The Sikh community across the West Midlands has been making such complaints and claims for decades, but all have fallen on the deaf ears of the force. Despite changes in senior officers and meetings with an elected PCC (Police and Crime Commissioner), nothing seems to change other than things getting worse."
Singh mentioned that the community has requested West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and PCC Simon Foster to thoroughly investigate and examine the behavior, racist beliefs, and practices within the police force.
Kalam, one of only seven female officers in a unit of 235 officers in the UK's second-largest police force, also raised concerns about toxic masculinity and misogyny.
She explained that women were often objectified, and male officers frequently used offensive language.
"West Midlands Police need to take serious stock of what is happening within the unit. I can only speak from experience. I have lost my career. I am standing up; it is the right thing to do," the 40-year-old told Channel 4.
According to Channel 4, the West Midlands Police have acknowledged 75 of Kalam's complaints.
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The news channel also stated that the police force confirmed that, as a result of an investigation by the Professional Standards Department into the firearms unit, 16 officers and staff received "low-level sanctions or advice."
"Officers and staff in the Firearms Unit work tirelessly, often in the most risky situations, to protect the public and perform their duties with the utmost professionalism, and they are disgusted at any conduct that falls below these standards of professional behavior," West Midlands Police Force¡¯s deputy chief constable Scott Green was quoted as saying in BriminghamLive.
Green said that the force is working closely with the West Midlands Police Sikh Association and Sikh communities across the region to "understand diverse groups and communities to ensure we treat everyone with dignity and respect".
Green said regular meetings with the community and religious leaders are held to discuss and address issues.
"There is no place for misogynistic, discriminatory, or disrespectful behavior in policing, and we are working hard to set and reinforce the highest standards," she added.
(With agency inputs)
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