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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Muslim police officer suing Met | Muslim police officer suing Met |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A Muslim police officer is taking legal action against the Metropolitan force following his removal from a top protection squad. | A Muslim police officer is taking legal action against the Metropolitan force following his removal from a top protection squad. |
| Amjad Farooq, 39, was a member of Diplomatic Protection Group SO16, which guards dignitaries such as Tony Blair. | Amjad Farooq, 39, was a member of Diplomatic Protection Group SO16, which guards dignitaries such as Tony Blair. |
| PC Farooq had been working for the DPG for six weeks when he was told he had failed his security checks. | PC Farooq had been working for the DPG for six weeks when he was told he had failed his security checks. |
| His solicitor, Lawrence Davies, told the Independent: "Muslims are labelled guilty by association." | His solicitor, Lawrence Davies, told the Independent: "Muslims are labelled guilty by association." |
| The newspaper also says PC Farooq denies any links to extremist groups or inappropriate behaviour. | The newspaper also says PC Farooq denies any links to extremist groups or inappropriate behaviour. |
| It claims he was told he was a threat to national security because two of his children had attended a mosque associated with a Muslim cleric linked to a suspected terrorist group. | |
| PC Farooq was a firearms specialist working for the Wiltshire Constabulary when he was transferred to the DPG. | PC Farooq was a firearms specialist working for the Wiltshire Constabulary when he was transferred to the DPG. |
| Security checks | Security checks |
| Its main role is to provide protection at government, diplomatic and Metropolitan Police sites. All officers within the DPG must undergo security vetting, including a counter-terrorism check (CTC). | Its main role is to provide protection at government, diplomatic and Metropolitan Police sites. All officers within the DPG must undergo security vetting, including a counter-terrorism check (CTC). |
| PC Farooq had been accepted into the DPG when he was told in December 2003 that he had failed his CTC. | PC Farooq had been accepted into the DPG when he was told in December 2003 that he had failed his CTC. |
| PC Farooq's solicitor, Lawrence Davies, said: "We live in a society where it is possible to point a finger at a Muslim abroad and say that they have WMD and are a threat to national security and no questions are asked. | PC Farooq's solicitor, Lawrence Davies, said: "We live in a society where it is possible to point a finger at a Muslim abroad and say that they have WMD and are a threat to national security and no questions are asked. |
| "Now those who 'protect' us feel emboldened to point the same finger at British Muslims. | "Now those who 'protect' us feel emboldened to point the same finger at British Muslims. |
| "Muslims are labelled guilty by association. Doubt is insufficient to save them. They are assumed guilty before being proven innocent." | |
| Peter Smyth of the Metropolitan Police Federation said the necessary checks should have been carried out before PC Farooq's transfer. | Peter Smyth of the Metropolitan Police Federation said the necessary checks should have been carried out before PC Farooq's transfer. |
| "All police employees should be vetted before they are recruited and given a contract. | "All police employees should be vetted before they are recruited and given a contract. |
| "It seems to us a bit perverse to do otherwise. If these checks had been carried out in advance then presumably he would not have been accepted as a transfer from Wiltshire." | "It seems to us a bit perverse to do otherwise. If these checks had been carried out in advance then presumably he would not have been accepted as a transfer from Wiltshire." |
| 'Proportionate' decision | |
| Superintendent Dal Babu from the Association of Muslim Police told the BBC that officers, particularly those in sensitive roles, had to go through stringent checks before being assigned their duties. | Superintendent Dal Babu from the Association of Muslim Police told the BBC that officers, particularly those in sensitive roles, had to go through stringent checks before being assigned their duties. |
| "There are three levels of security in the police service, and all police staff are required to have a security check at the most basic level and that's reviewed every 10 years. | "There are three levels of security in the police service, and all police staff are required to have a security check at the most basic level and that's reviewed every 10 years. |
| "In addition to that if you then have access to firearms, or you're protecting diplomats then you're required to have a high level of security." | |
| A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "What we can say is that the decisions that the Metropolitan Police Service have taken in this particular case are entirely proportionate, defendable and justified. | |
| "We carry out appropriate vetting of officers and staff throughout their careers. The level of vetting increases according to the sensitivity of the roles that officers and staff have to perform. | |
| "We have an excellent relationship with the Association of Muslim Police who have recently stated that the vetting process is used appropriately and 'not indiscriminately'." | |
| Another Met officer, Alexander Basha, was excused from guarding the Israeli embassy in Kensington Palace Gardens in central London last month after expressing concern over his family links with Lebanon. | Another Met officer, Alexander Basha, was excused from guarding the Israeli embassy in Kensington Palace Gardens in central London last month after expressing concern over his family links with Lebanon. |