Seven Greater Manchester Police officers under investigation for alleged 'racist chat'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Seven GMP officers are under investigation for alleged racial discrimination. All of the officers are based at the Bury division and a police watchdog is leading the probe.

The Manchester Evening News understands the action stems from alleged appalling "canteen banter" including by experienced officers both on and off duty.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: "We’ve suspended five officers and put two officers on restricted duties on the Bury district following a report made of racial discrimination. READ MORE: Men arrested at Manchester Airport after killing their friend are now where they belong “GMP has a zero tolerance on discriminatory behaviour from any of our officers and staff.

We are deeply concerned by the allegations and will not hesitate to take any action necessary. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) are independently investigating following our referral." One source said the allegations concerned "extreme racism, calling people awful names and boasting about it in the station" In a statement, the IOPC said it had begun an investigation "following a referral regarding the conduct of Greater Manchester Police officers who are alleged to have engaged in conversations of a discriminatory nature." It added: "We will investigate allegations that these officers openly engaged in conversations and either used, or failed to challenge, offensive language.