West Midlands Police has removed an officer from front line duties after he was secretly filmed quizzing a driver about being a good Muslim - before telling him he was “full of s***.”
The exchange was recorded by estate agent owner Shafiq Siddiq who was pulled over on New Year’s Day as he drove his Smart car along Stratford Road , Sparkhill.
The 35-year-old, who was travelling home from a party, was pulled over at 4am for undertaking a car that he claims was driving erratically in front of him. He says he began filming exchanges in the back of the police car when the traffic officer began making checks on his identity. He has since handed the video to the police watchdog, claiming he was treated in a “discriminatory and unpleasant way.”
Chief Inspector Brian Carmichael, from West Midlands Police’s Professional Standards Department, said: “We have received a complaint against a traffic officer following an incident in the early hours of New Year’s Day when a driver was pulled over in relation to a driving standards matter.
“It’s alleged the PC used discriminatory language and acted unprofessionally. The matter has been referred to the IPCC for their consideration and we await their response; the officer in question has been taken away from a front-line role while the allegation is assessed.
“We demand the highest standards from all our officers. The public should expect to be treated fairly and respectfully…we will take action against anyone deemed to have fallen short of those standards.”
