Gurpal Virdi praises CRE for their support
(10th January 2002)

Gurpal Virdi, the Asian Police Sergeant wrongly accused of sending racist hate mail to fellow officers, yesterday warmly thanked and praised the CRE for supporting him in his case against the Metropolitan Police.

At a press conference organised by the Metropolitan Police Authority to release the Virdi Inquiry Report looking at the internal police handling of his case, Mr Virdi said:

"The CRE should be praised for the way they have supported me for nearly three years as I fought to clear my name. I am grateful for that help and without them the truth would never have been revealed."

The report sets out urgent recommendations for change levelled at the Metropolitan Police. These include ensuring police at all levels implement equality policies, and that the entrenched blame culture is tackled forcefully.

Mr Virdi has been assisted in his legal case by the CRE since 1999, and won a first set of employment tribunal proceedings in August 2000. The CRE is continuing to assist him in a further set of proceedings and are working to secure an outcome which is in his best interests.

At the press conference, Ian Blair, Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner apologised to Mr Virdi for the suffering caused to him and his family. He welcomed the report and said that he wanted to ensure Mr Virdi was welcomed positively back into the force.

The CRE Statement on the The Virdi Inquiry Report

The CRE stated that "the publication today of the Virdi Inquiry Report commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Authority must now provide both the momentum and the framework for much needed change. The recommendations clearly mark out just how firmly the Metropolitan Police needs to tackle its internal systems so that Gurpal Virdi’s experience is never repeated.

It is more than four years since Gurpal Virdi was wrongly accused of sending racist literature to colleagues. Since that time his personal integrity and reputation have been tarnished and his family life profoundly affected. He has fought his case with dignity throughout the long months of criminal investigation and then civil litigation as he sought to clear his name and prove that he was the victim of racial discrimination and not the perpetrator of crimes against his colleagues.

Mr Virdi approached the CRE in 1999 for assistance with what turned out to be an extremely complex case. We took it up and went to considerable expense and extraordinary lengths to secure vital computer evidence and to give high quality legal support. We won the first set of proceedings over allegations that Mr Virdi had sent racist hate mail - and won against many people’s expectations. The Employment Tribunal clearly recognised the significance of Mr Virdi’s experience in reaching its findings.

There remains a second set of tribunal proceedings and our priority is to ensure that Mr Virdi gets an outcome which is in his best interests. Our negotiations with the Metropolitan Police Authority and the Metropolitan Police Service continue to that end."

Copies of the full Virdi Inquiry Report (priced £20) are available from the Metropolitan Police Authority, Romney House, 43 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 3PY. Telephone 020 7944 8900

Click here to visit the CRE website.

Top