A police officer, whose brothers were involved in a highly publicized altercation at Manchester Airport, is facing a misconduct hearing for allegedly making racist remarks about a Black female colleague's braided hair, describing it as 'looking like a mop'. PC Mohammed Abid is among nine current and former officers from Greater Manchester Police who face disciplinary proceedings over allegations of using racist language and other breaches of professional standards.
The hearing was told that PC Abid made the comment about a colleague, referred to only as PC Y, who has been granted anonymity. PC Y, who is originally from Africa, stated that she believed the comment was made because she is Black. PC Abid denies the allegation.
Allegations of Racist Language and Mimicry
The misconduct proceedings stem from allegations that officers at Bury police station engaged in racist behavior. PC Y claims that colleagues regularly mimicked her African accent, leaving her feeling anxious and nervous. She reported that the mimicking occurred frequently, with officers repeating words she said and copying her accent, which she found upsetting and unfunny. While PCs Heena Rani and Lucy Granby are accused of mimicking PC Y's accent, they maintain they only copied how she said the word 'ok' and that it was a shared joke.
Another allegation involves Sergeant Adrian Bick, who is accused of pointing to a photograph of a Black fraud suspect and suggesting to PC Demi Green that the suspect could be PC Y's mother. Sergeant Bick admits the incident occurred but claims he was referring to the suspect's hairstyle and glasses, not their skin color. He has apologized, recognizing the comment could be perceived as racist. PC Green also stated she believed Sergeant Bick's comment referred to curly hair and glasses, and that PC Y laughed when she relayed it.
All nine officers are accused of breaching professional standards concerning authority, respect, courtesy, equality, diversity, and discreditable conduct. Most are also accused of failing to challenge and report improper behavior.
Context of the Manchester Airport Incident
The case involving PC Abid's brothers, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammad Amaad, garnered significant public attention in July 2024. Mobile phone footage initially appeared to show a police officer kicking Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, then 19, in the face during an incident at Manchester Airport. However, subsequent CCTV footage revealed that Amaaz and his brother had violently resisted arrest after Amaaz headbutted a tourist. Amaaz was later jailed for three-and-a-half years for assaulting two female officers, PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook. Two separate jury trials failed to reach verdicts on whether Amaaz or his brother had assaulted a male colleague, PC Zachary Marsden.
Lawyers for the brothers highlighted that neither had prior trouble with the police and that several family members are current or former officers with Greater Manchester Police. PC Abid had provided character references for his brothers during their trials, praising Amaaz's respectful nature. However, jurors were reportedly unaware of the disciplinary proceedings against PC Abid at the time.
PC Y came forward with her accusations in November 2023. If the claims against the nine officers are found to be proven, they could face gross misconduct proceedings. Separately, four other officers from the Bury district are also facing misconduct proceedings following an unrelated racism investigation.