West Midlands Police found liable for sexual harassment and discrimination against female officer
An employment tribunal has found West Midlands Police liable for incidents of sexual discrimination and harassment against a former female officer, which included a male trainer pushing her down by putting his foot on the back of her neck.
Rebecca Kalam claims she felt "belittled" and "devalued" when working as a ballistics officer for the force, where she was one of only seven women in a unit with 235 men.
West Midlands Police has admitted to 75 allegations made as part of the employment tribunal and Mrs Kalam could now be in line for a record-breaking £1.2m payout.
In one incident during a training exercise in March 2012, the tribunal heard that Mrs Kalam was doing press ups when a male trainer pushed her down with his foot on the back of her neck and said "just because you have tits does not mean you cannot do a press up".
In the same month, she was required to act as a "stooge" in a mock training exercise by having her clothes cut off and stripped down to her underwear so that first aid could be given.
The scenario was based on a bullet hole on the top of the left breast, which officers would then have to treat in the training session, which left Mrs Kalam feeling "extremely uncomfortable".
Mrs Kalam was also made the "poster girl" for the Firearms Operations Unit in 2012 and was told she could not pass the training course if she did not agree.
As well as being repeatedly harassed and victimised, the tribunal heard that Mrs Kalam was told to "wear a compression bra" and make do with men’s armour when she expressed concerns that there was no body armour specifically designed for female officers. This uniform did not fit and "was painful to wear" as well as leaving her "feeling unprotected".
The tribunal found that the force was liable for "the failure to provide to her suitable Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) including trousers, tops, Crye two-piece, folding handcuffs and ballistic body armour" and "the failure to order ballistic body armour suited to her irrespective of when male body armour would be ordered."
Furthermore, Mrs Kalam was not given a handgun with an easier trigger pull like other male officers.
The summary of the final hearing of the tribunal was published on Friday (October 6), determining that the force should pay Mrs Kalam £3,000 "in respect of pain, suffering and loss of amenity for her claim for physical injury (scarring)."
However, the former officer is estimated to get £1.2m for an array of claims made against the force, and this will be decided after another tribunal in January.
Objectification of women
Mrs Kalam worked at the firearms unit for 10 years and has accused the unit of racist, sexist and toxic behaviour.
Speaking to Channel 4 News, the 40-year-old alleged that the unit's culture allowed pornography to be shared in group chats and the regular objectification of women.
One of the claims made were against police officers guarding schoolgirl shooting victim Malala Yousafzai in Birmingham, who allegedly mocked her with a racist nickname.
In an interview with Channel 4 News, Mrs Kalam said: "West Midlands Police need to take serious stock of what is happening within the unit. I can only speak from experience.
"I have lost my career. I am standing up, it is the right thing to do."
She also accused her fellow officers of not bothering to learn the difference between Sikhs and Muslims and referred to those wearing a turban with racist remarks.
Due to Mrs Kalam's complaints, Channel 4 claims that 15 officers were investigated for sharing racist and misogynistic on Whatsapp and West Midlands Police confirmed a total of 16 officers and staff were given ‘low-level sanctions or advice’ following a Professional Standards Department probe into the Firearms Unit.
"Progress has been made" - West Midlands Police
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "All female officers in the Firearms Unit have been issued with uniform and equipment which meets their specific requirements, including formed ballistic protection."
West Midlands Police Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green said: “A number of serious issues have been discussed during the tribunal hearing many of which date back a number of years. As we are awaiting the outcome of the tribunal it is not appropriate at this time to comment on the specific claims made by Rebecca Kalam.
“Officers and staff in the Firearms Unit work tirelessly, often in the most risky situations, to protect the public and perform their duties with the utmost professionalism and they are disgusted at any conduct which falls below these standards of professional behaviour.
“There is no place for misogynistic, discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour in policing and we are working hard to set and reinforce the highest standards.
“Under the leadership of Chief Superintendent Sarah Burton, officers and staff in the Firearms Unit have worked hard over the past two years to deliver improvements to culture, standards and the working environment and much progress has been made.
“This includes positive changes to the working environment, training and development opportunities and the provision of female-specific uniform and equipment. Female firearms officers are now involved in trialling and assessing new uniform and equipment and we have also introduced new arrangements to procure female specific uniform and equipment. All female firearms officers have been issued with equipment specific to their individual needs, including formed ballistic protection.
“These important steps are helping us to attract and retain the best and most diverse people in firearms policing, and benefit those already working in this critical area and the public they serve.”
