UK NRI Sikh police officer wins compensation
for 'racist and religious discrimination
London, July 28, 2009
Satinder paul Singh
NRI Amandeep Kaur Grewal, 38, of Kingston, south-west London,
has been awarded a five-figure compensation payment because she
suffered racist and religious humiliation, unfair criticism and
treatment by trainer Pc Lucinda Rigby at the Metropolitan Police’s
training school in Hendon.
The tribunal found:
- Amandeep Kaur Grewal was given negative feedback and over-supervised
in a racially discriminatory manner during safety training.
- The junior officer was subjected to unlawful racial victimisation
when she was told others laughed at her behaviour during training.
- The comments were unprofessional and "potentially hurtful".
- PC Rigby acted in this way because she felt defensive about
the allegations of race and religious discrimination."
- The panel rejected the Met’s claim that trainers had
considered her skills poor.
Grewal complained:
- Rigby told her other students were laughing at her behind
her back.
- Some of her fellow recruits treated her in a “less
than friendly fashion”.
- Another trainer had to hold a diversity class to deal with
animosity towards Grewal.
According to the police, there were 17 complaints dealt with
in the judgment, only two were upheld. One allegation of unlawful
race discrimination and another of unlawful racial and religious
discrimination by way of victimisation.
All claims of harassment, were dismissed.