Racist policemen exposed by TV resign

FIVE British police officers accused of making racist remarks in an undercover television documentary resigned yesterday.

Pc Rob Pulling, one of eight officers featured in BBC1’s The Secret Policeman, resigned from North Wales Police this morning, as a top officer in his force admitted having felt “physically sick” watching the film.

This afternoon, three officers from Greater Manchester Police and one from the Cheshire force stepped down.

All five officers had earlier been suspended over allegations of racist behaviour captured on secret cameras for the hour-long documentary screened last night.

As well as Pc Pulling, the officers who have resigned were thought to be Pcs Carl Jones, Tony Lewin and Adrian Harrison, of Greater Manchester Police and Pc Steve Salkeld of the Cheshire force.

Pcs Andy Hall and Andy Turley of Greater Manchester Police, and Pc Keith Cheshire, of North Wales Police, last night remained suspended while criminal and disciplinary investigations are carried out into allegations aired in the programme.

Before the programme was screened, the BBC was criticised by Home Secretary David Blunkett for not handing over evidence of racism before broadcasting its documentary.

Yesterday, Mr Blunkett added his voice to the many senior police officers who admitted feeling sick and ashamed by the extreme racist behaviour by young recruits in the programme.

One top officer said he had felt “physically sick” at racist comments captured on film by undercover reporter Mark Daly.

Another said he felt “ashamed to be a member of the British police service” while Mr Blunkett said the extent of the racist behaviour in the film, broadcast last night, was “horrendous”.

The Secret Policeman showed racism among a number of trainee officers from forces in North Wales, Cheshire and Greater Manchester after Mr Daly, aged 28, posed as a recruit armed with an array of hidden cameras.

The Glaswegian journalist spent seven months with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) compiling a dossier of evidence against seven recruits and one serving officer before being exposed and arrested.

Pc Pulling, who was based in Rhyl, north Wales, was seen wearing a home-made Ku Klux Klan-style hood, saying he would bury an Asian under a train track and that Hitler had the “right idea”.

Murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence had “deserved it” and his parents were “a f****** pair of spongers”, he added.

Acting deputy chief constable of North Wales Police Clive Wolfendale said: “It is frankly hard to imagine more despicable words.”

Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom would now be writing to the Lawrence family to apologise.

Mr Wolfendale said it was “scant comfort” that “raw recruit” Pc Pulling had never walked the streets of north Wales unsupervised.

He said: “I felt physically sick as I watched The Secret Policeman last night and I suspect some of you did.

“Pulling has shamed his colleagues, his uniform and his service. He is a disgrace.”

Greater Manchester deputy chief constable Alan Green said any case the racist recruits were involved in would have to be reviewed.

“It is fair to say the programme last night, which we had not seen previously, has really shocked, certainly, me. It has made me ashamed to be part of the British police service and it has saddened me greatly.”

When Mr Daly was exposed in August, he had been arrested on suspicion of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception and damaging police property.

He was due to answer bail next month, but yesterday Mr Green gave a strong hint that the reporter would not face charges.