Sultan Alam:Call for Police Public Inquiry into racism grows

OBV reported last year the horrific case of Cleveland police officers ‘fitting up’ a fellow Asian colleague Sultan Alam for a crime he didn’t commit. Today he has been awarded more than £800,000 in compensation. The largest of its kind.

Cleveland police admitted malicious prosecution towards Alam during a hearing at Leeds Crown Court last year. It was there the trial heard that Alam’ s police colleagues who had conspired to falsely send Alam to prison, were themselves never tried before a crown court. Three of those officers have left the service, but one remains a serving constable.

Alam’s crime in the eyes of his colleagues was that he made a complaint about their bigoted behavior after he endured a series of racial incidents including being posted Ku Klux Klan material.

Having been falsely convicted of theft, Alam’s life fell apart. His marriage broke down, as did his health, and reputation. During his time in prison – nine months - as an ex police officer, he said that he was a marked man, always ‘fearful for his wellbeing.’

Like many of you I am convinced that with the race cases that we already know about including this one, along with the very suspicious and controversial recent Black deaths in police custody, the call for a Public Enquiry into racism within our police force is becoming louder and louder.

Clearly if police officers such as those in Cleveland felt confident and arrogant enough to ‘fit up’ one of their own, what chance do we have or worse still, who’s going to believe a petty Black criminal when they claim they have been ‘fitted up’?

Simon Woolley