Force ‘racist’ to police in its own ranks, inquiry reveals

The Cleveland Police inquiry identified “a resonance” between how it treats its black and ethnic minority staff and the definition of institutional racism as set out in the Macpherson report.

The initial findings come days after former Cleveland traffic officer Sultan Alam was awarded £800,000 compensation by the force after being wrongfully jailed for 18 months over a malicious prosecution brought by colleagues in 1996.

Acting Chief Constable Jacqui Cheer commissioned the inquiry after taking over last year.

She appointed a team to carry out the investigation after concerns were raised.

She said: “These findings relate largely to the application of internal policies and procedures, and are being looked into in more detail by the force, so that recommendations can be formed and implemented to fully address these issues.”

Mr Alam, 49, who made claims of racial abuse against the force, said he believed things had not improved and called for the whole report to be made public.