PC Mohammed Abid is among nine current and former police officers facing disciplinary proceedings for alleged racist language and behavior at Bury police station. The allegations surfaced during a misconduct hearing where Abid, the brother of individuals involved in a widely publicized incident at Manchester Airport, is accused of describing a Black female colleague's braided hair as "looking like a mop."
The colleague, identified as PC Y, stated that she believed the comment was made because she is Black. She also alleged that other officers on her team regularly mimicked her African accent, causing her to feel anxious and nervous. These incidents allegedly occurred over a period of time, with PC Y reporting them in November 2023.
The misconduct hearing also heard allegations that Sergeant Adrian Bick pointed to a photograph of a Black fraud suspect and suggested to PC Y that the suspect could be her mother. PC Demi Green is accused of repeating this comment to PC Y. Sergeant Bick has acknowledged the incident occurred but claims he was referring to the suspect's hairstyle and glasses, not skin color, and has apologized, recognizing the comment could be perceived as racist. PC Green maintains she also interpreted the comment as a reference to hair and glasses and that PC Y laughed when she relayed it.
Several constables, including PCs Heena Rani and Lucy Granby, are accused of mimicking PC Y's accent and repeating her words, particularly how she said 'hello' and 'ok.' PCs Rani and Granby reportedly apologized after a colleague intervened, but the mimicking allegedly continued. Other officers face similar accusations of imitating her accent and laugh.
All nine officers are accused of breaching professional standards related to authority, respect, courtesy, equality, diversity, and discreditable conduct. Sergeant Bick and PC Green, along with others, are also accused of failing to challenge and report improper behavior.
The Manchester Airport incident involving Abid's brothers, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammad Amaad, gained viral attention in July 2024. Initially, footage showed a police officer kicking Amaaz in the face during an arrest. However, subsequent CCTV footage revealed that Amaaz and Amaad had violently resisted arrest after Amaaz headbutted a tourist. Amaaz was later jailed for assaulting two female officers, but juries failed to reach verdicts on charges of assaulting a male colleague for both brothers.
Lawyers for the Amaaz brothers had highlighted that six members of their family are current or former officers with Greater Manchester Police. PC Abid had provided glowing character references for his brother Amaaz during his trial, describing him as 'respectful, gentle and soft-spoken,' a description not known to the jury at the time of the proceedings.