Parm Sandhu, one of senior-most Indian origin female police officers in Britain is suing Scotland Yard over allegations of racial and gender discrimination in the United Kingdom’s largest police force.
Presently serving as Temporary Chief Superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, Sandhu claims she was given the red light to promotions and opportunities at work because of her race and gender.
The first trial in her case is set to take place at an employment tribunal the following week.
“At this early stage, we are unable to comment further around defending the claim,” the Met Police said in a statement.
The 54-year-old Sandhu is being backed by the Metropolitan Black Police Association, which says it is concerned about the lack of senior female ethnic minority officers.
Sandhu took the legal step at the end of an internal Met Police investigation which exonerated her of gross misconduct last month.
The inquiry, launched in June 2018, focused on whether Sandhu encouraged her colleagues to support her nomination for a Queen’s Police Medal (QPM), which is awarded twice a year by Queen Elizabeth II as part of her honors’ lists.
The medals are bestowed to serving police officers in the UK in recognition of outstanding courage or distinguished service in the line of duty.
“A temporary chief superintendent currently attached to human resources was served with a gross misconduct notice on Wednesday 27 June and has been placed on restricted duties,” said a Met Police statement at the time.
The UK’s National Police Chief Council guidelines say that “any person can nominate any other person for an honor”.
However, as with other honors, people are not expected to nominate themselves and are not meant to contribute to or know about the process.
The internal Met Police investigation concluded early this month that Sandhu had “no case to answer” and would face no further action, with limitations on her duties at work being lifted.
According to BBC, Mick Creedon, the former chief constable of Derbyshire Police, who acted as her guide and submitted a statement to the misconduct inquiry, has offered support for her legal battle.
Sandhu, who joined the police service in 1989, is one of the most senior ethnic minority female officers in the Met Police. She rose through the ranks to become Borough Commander in Richmond-upon-Thames. In 2006, she received an Asian Women of Achievement Award for her achievements in the police force.
