A POLICE officer has been forced to resign after making
monkey noises to a black suspect.
PC Wayne Bell, 32, was ordered to resign for three
breaches of the Police Code of Conduct by the Independent Police Complaints
Commission (IPCC) on October 25.
Mr Bell, of Cross Lane West, Gravesend, was found to
have breached the code on politeness and tolerance for making monkey gestures
and noises to suspect Anthony Housden.
He had already been cleared of a racially-aggravated
public order offence by magistrates.
Mr Housden, of Iris Crescent, Bexleyheath, was taken to
Plumstead police station on July 1.
He had been arrested on suspicion of assault and affray
at Abbey Wood station.
A second officer was also required to resign for
failing to oppose the behaviour and failing to report it.
News Shopper 8th November
Town Hall slated by anti-racist
AN ANTI-RACISM campaigner has hit out at
Greenwich council for the way a complaint of racism among staff was handled.
Makhan Bajwa revealed that a trading standards
officer was reported for using offensive language during a pirate DVD raid in
Woolwich earlier this year.
The unnamed officer has since been issued with
a final warning and has kept their job.
Mr Bajwa, director of Greenwich Council for
Racial Equality, said the worker in question used the word "n****r"
during the raid and was overheard by a PC who complained to council chiefs.
He also alleges that market trader Ashok
Thapar was banned from Woolwich market for accusing council officers of racism.
South London Press 1st November
Inquiry as man dies after
being pinned to ground by police
28.09.06
this is London.co.uk
Scotland
Yard faces a major row today over the death of a businessman as he was
restrained by several officers.
Frank Ogboru, 43, stopped breathing after being pinned down in the street.
Nigerian
Mr Ogboru, holidaying in London, got into an argument with the girlfriend of a
friend he was staying with in Woolwich. Police called to the apartment block
tried to arrest him outside.
But
he lost consciousness as officers held him down. Attempts were made to
resuscitate him at the scene but he was later pronounced dead in hospital.
At
her home in Lagos today, his wife Christy, 40, said her husband was "loving
and generous". She sobbed: "I want the police to tell me why my
husband is dead. He was not a violent man, he was not a criminal. He went to
Britain to see his friends and now he is dead. He was my life.
"A
police officer phoned me to say Frank was dead and he was sorry. He said he had
'problems breathing'. I kept asking how and why it had happened. Frank was a big
strong man, he had no health problems. But he just kept saying he didn't know.
"I
want him back, but my husband is gone. I can't have him, but I must have
justice."
Mr
Ogboru, who ran a car dealership in his home country, died in Calderwood Street,
yards from Woolwich police station. He arrived in Britain three weeks ago and in
addition to seeing friends, he was meeting fellow members of the South-South
Peoples' Assembly - a pressure group that campaigns on environmental issues in
the Niger Delta.
Witness
Sean Pops, 26, said he saw several officers kneeling on Mr Ogboru. He said:
"The officers were on top of him, you could tell he was in a lot of pain.
The guy kept saying 'I can't breathe'."
Another
witness, who asked not to be named, watched the tragedy unfold from her window.
She said: "First there were two officers, then four, then more. It was like
they were squashing him.
"They
were pinning him down and handcuffing him. I saw officers with their knees on
him and their feet on him. He was just wailing - the kind of sound a dog would
make if it was kicked. I thought there were too many of them on him."
Another witness said he saw an officer standing with his foot on Mr Ogboru's
neck as another tried to cuff him.
The
incident was recorded on a mobile phone by a passer-by. The phone was seized as
evidence. The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an
investigation into Mr Ogboru's death on Tuesday night, promising the probe will
be "full and thorough".
It
is the third controversy to hit police in the area in just over a year. Paul
Coker, 32, died in a cell at Plumstead police station in August last year after
being arrested for breaching the peace. The IPCC has presented a file to the
Crown Prosecution Service for consideration.
Six
months later Nuur Saeed, 22, fell to his death from a second-floor flat in
Woolwich as police raided it, suspecting drug dealing. The IPCC cleared officers
of any wrongdoing. Officers conceded Mr Saeed was "not a target" of
the raid.
There
was no action against police over the death in custody in 1999 of Tottenham
manic depressive Roger Sylvester, who was restrained for 20 minutes by eight
officers, after the Crown Prosecution Service announced there was insufficient
evidence to justify prosecution of any of the officers involved.
Tree Planted to remember Paul
FAMILY and friends have planted a tree and held a vigil in memory of Paul
Coker, who died in a police cell.
The 32-year-old was found dead at Plumstead police station on August 6 last
year, two hours after being arrested for causing a breach of the peace.
His mother Pat, sisters Amy and Madeleine and other relatives paid tribute to
Paul by planting a lime tree in Greenwich Park.
This was followed by a vigil outside Plumstead police station in the evening.
The events coincided with the Independent Police Complaints Commission ending
its investigation into Paul's death last week.
It is now up to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether charges
should be brought against the officers who dealt with Paul on the night he died.
Mrs Coker said: "We wanted to do something dignified and
family-orientated on Sunday.
"We are pleased with the tree. It's in a beautiful spot in the
park."
12:59pm Tuesday 8th August 2006
Teens 'did not die in vain' memorial service told
Bexley Times 27 July 2006
STEPHEN Lawrence was one of three black teenagers murdered in the borough
who have been honoured at a memorial service.
Also remembered were Rolan Adams, who was attacked and killed by a 12-strong
white gang in 1991, and 15-year-old Rohit Duggal was murdered by white men
outside a kebab shop in Eltham in 1992.
All three teenagers were remembered at a ceremony on July 13. The event included
performances by pupils from across Greenwich borough and there was a two-minute
silence.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of pressure group Liberty, said: "I'm here to
suggest that Rolan, Rohit and Stephen did not die in vain and that hate is
losing and tolerance and common decency are winning. We share belief in the
precious nature of every single human being. That is what human rights is about
- dignity, quality and justice for every single human being."
Councillor Angela Cornforth, deputy leader of Greenwich council, said: "The
borough has welcomed people across the globe who have come here to improve their
lives and enrich our society."
The service came a week before Greenwich was named the fourth most racist
borough in the country.
Police figures show that six boroughs in London are featured in the top ten
worst areas for race crime in the UK.
Justice for Nuur
The Metropolitan Police Service had referred the incident to the
Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) who decided to carry out an
independent investigation. Though the investigation has not been concluded the
IPCC said in a statement to The Muslim News, “The CCTV footage which captured
Mr Saeed on the balcony of the flat has remained a central part of the
investigation. The IPCC has had the footage enhanced and examined by an
independent scientist who has detailed his findings in a report. The CCTV shows
that Nuur Saeed was alone on the balcony when he fell. The family have also been
shown this footage and have seen the independent scientist’s report.”
IPCC Commissioner responsible for the investigation, Mehmuda Mian Pritchard,
said, “We have almost finalised the investigative element of our independent
investigation. It wouldn’t be appropriate to go into further detail about the
content of our report however, we are mindful of the concerns of both Mr
Saeed’s family and the local community and therefore we have decided to
publicly release an update on the CCTV, a key area of this investigation. Mr
Saeed’s family and their solicitor have been made aware of this update.”
26/5/06 The Muslim News
Crime
increase fuelled by carrying expensive items
NEW
Met
Police figures show the crime rate has risen over the past year
in Greenwich.
Annual
statistics show a 0.5 per cent increase, with 168 offences in Greenwich.
Gun-enabled
crime has risen by 48 per cent in Greenwich with an extra 48 offences to the
previous year's 100.
But
the rate of racial crime has fallen to 97 offences.
Mugging
has risen by 49 incidents in Greenwich. Police have blamed the rise on people
carrying expensive goods including MP3 players and mobile phones.
The
new figures relate to offences between March 2005 and March this year.
April
25th News Shopper
Justice for Nuur
April 8th
Over 350 people protested outside Plumstead police station, south London,
last Saturday, over the death of Nuur Saeed. Nuur died after armed officers
stormed his flat in Plumstead on 10 January this year.
Nuur was found on the ground below the balcony of his second floor flat
suffering from massive head injuries. He died on 24 January after two weeks in a
coma.
In an unusual and controversial move the Independent Police Complaints
Commission (IPCC) issued a statement saying Nuur was apparently shown alone in
CCTV footage of the incident.
The family are angry and hurt that the IPCC decided to release a section of
its evidence before the inquiry is concluded. They are still seeking the truth
over what happened in the police raid.
Socialist Worker online
CCTV may reveal cause of death in police
raid
April 5th 2006
A SOMALI man who plunged to his death from the
balcony of a flat as it was raided by police was alone when he fell, according
to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
The IPCC asked an independent scientist to
enhance CCTV footage of Nuur Saeed on the balcony at Sandbach Place, Plumstead,
on January 10.
The 22-year-old died on January 24 from head
injuries suffered in the fall.
In a statement on Friday, the IPCC said Mr
Saeed's family had been shown the footage and had seen the scientist's report.
Mehmuda Mian Pritchard, IPCC commissioner,
said: "We are mindful of the concerns of both Mr Saeed's family and the
local community and therefore we have decided to publicly release an update on
the CCTV - a key area of the investigation. We understand that this has been a
very distressing and difficult time for Nuur Saeed's family."
icSouthlondon
Join the march for justice for Nuur
Campaigners have called a picket of Plumstead police
station, south east London, for this Saturday 1 April at 1.30pm to protest at
the suspicious death of 22 year old Somali man Nuur Saeed after a police raid.
'I want justice for my brother'
Bexley Times 30 March 2006
THE sister of a man killed after a police raid says
she will not rest until she finds out how her brother died.
Fay Saeed, 20, from Woolwich said her family have not even been told 'the
basics' about what happened on the afternoon of January 10, when her elder
brother Nuur was found unconscious after falling from a second floor flat in
Plumstead.
Moments earlier, police had raided the property looking for a man wanted in
connection with the murder of WPC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford.
But what happened in between remains a mystery, and is the subject of an ongoing
investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
Miss Saeed said: "We want to know exactly what happened on the day and why.
It is not a lot to ask for, considering what we have been through, and we will
keep coming back day after day, month after month, until we have some
answers."
An inquest into Mr Saeed's death will not be carried out
until the results of the IPCC investigation have been published.
What is known is that Nuur, 21, fell between fencing and a railing and suffered
internal bleeding. He died two weeks later from a massive brain injury.
Of her brother, Miss Saeed said: "His character really stood out. He could
be best friends with anybody, from people he had just met to people he had known
all his life. I will always remember him smiling and laughing, because that is
all he ever did."
l A Justice for Nuur campaign, which Miss Saeed helped to set up, is seeking to
highlight the alleged mistreatment meted out by police to Somali men and women
in Woolwich - a claim which police officers strongly deny.
A spokesman for Woolwich police said: "All Greenwich police operations and
activity are directed against criminals. We would never seek to criminalise any
part of our community."
Protesters in support of the campaign demonstrated outside Plumstead police
station on February 18. But it was organised on the same day as demonstrations
in the capital over the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.
Miss Saeed said: "The protest was a bit overshadowed, but we still had
great support."
A second peaceful demonstration organised by the Justice for Nuur Saeed Campaign
is planned for this Saturday outside Plumstead Police Station, on Plumstead High
Street, from 1.30pm.
Race hate attacks at mosque
Bexley Times 08 March 2006
RACISTS
have attacked the Woolwich Mosque twice in one week, sparking outrage among
religious leaders. The culprits first attempted to set fire to the Greenwich
Islamic Centre, Plumstead, Road, Woolwich, in the early hours of last Thursday.
Just four days later, vandals smashed windows with bricks, injuring caretaker
Mohamade Koheeallee. Police say both incidents are being treated as faith hate
crime, although they can not confirm if the two are linked.
Saeed Ahmad, chair of the Greenwich Council for Racial Equality, is shocked by
the attacks. He said: "We are not sure why these people are doing this. We
can't pinpoint the reason but it may be a faith hate crime. "It is a worry
for the community. Windows have been smashed, petrol has been poured on our
carpet. We do not know what is going to happen next."
The centre's caretaker was asleep at the time of the first attack but woke up
after hearing the window smash and managed to put out the fire.
It is believed the suspects broke a window at the back of the centre and poured
petrol into the building. Firefighters found extensive damage to the inside of
the building and an upstairs prayer room.
In the second attack, Mr Koheeallee was disturbed by the noise of some windows
smashing and went to investigate. He was hit in the face with a brick which cut
his right cheek. He alerted police after spotting two white men in their 20s
leaving the scene at around 11.15pm last Sunday.
Director of the Greenwich Islamic Centre Tariq Abbasi has condemned the
perpetrators of the attacks. He said: "This is a place of worship, a place
for peace, for everyone. It is terrifying for the caretaker [Mr Heeallee???] who
was here on his own and could have received huge injury. We want to get back to
normal. But we need to eradicate this kind of terrorism because this is what it
is."
Police have been conducting house-to-house enquiries in a bid to find witnesses
to these crimes. They have also met with representatives of the Islamic Centre
to offer advice and support. Mr Ahmad confirmed the council have been drafted in
to step up security at the centre.
Detective
Inspector Gareth Williams from Greenwich Community Safety Unit said: "These
are attempts to cause damage to an important community building. It was
fortunate that a staff member was present to stop the fire taking hold.
"Those responsible could have caused serious injury or even death to that
person and we are taking it extremely seriously. A crime like this will not be
tolerated by Greenwich police. "We recognise how upsetting this will be for
those who use the centre and the wider Greenwich community and we would seek to
reassure everyone that we are taking this incident extremely seriously and that
it will be thoroughly investigated."
Police are appealing for any witnesses and information to contact them on 020
8284 9864 or, to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
=======================
Somali community demands justice for Nuur Saeed
Some 600 people took to the streets of Plumstead last weekend to
protest over the death of Nuur Saeed. He died on 24 January from injuries
sustained following a police raid on a flat in south east London.
The Somali community in the Woolwich area of London is in deep shock after
Nuur’s death – but they are also angry. On the protest at Plumstead
police station they chanted “Justice for Nuur” and “Our reality – police
brutality”
Asad Hussain of the Justice for Nuur campaign said, “Nuur was a normal boy.
How could such a tragedy happen? We need to know what took place.”
The community in Woolwich is convinced that local police are out of control.
Young Somalis say police openly boast they are out for “revenge” for the
shooting of WPC Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford, allegedly by two Somali men.
Hassan, a young Somali man, pointed at a policeman and said, “They are
racist. They think we’re like the dirt on their shoes – but we’ve had
enough.”
Supporters of the local Respect branch were present on the demonstration
showing their support. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is
conducting an investigation into the death.
=====
Family wants
truth about how Nuur Saeed died
Nuur
Saeed died on 24 January from injuries he sustained following a police raid on a
flat in south east London. He is the most obvious victim of what local residents
are calling a “wave of harassment” of the Somali community in recent months.
In the wake of the 7 July bombing attacks on London and the murder of
policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford last December, there has been a
severe escalation of police harrassment of the Somali community. Since then
Somalis report an increase in general abuse and verbal and physical assaults.
According to Nuur’s cousin Faisa, “On 10 January the house was raided by the
police, apparently with a search warrant. They say my husband ran off the second
floor balcony and fell. It took hours in the hospital to get any information. On
24 January he died from those injuries.
“I need a full explanation of what happened. I have never had any contact with
the police, but so many people have told me of their bad experiences. So many
people find themselves in a similar situation. Hopefully people acting together
can find out the truth and make a difference.”
In another case one woman, who didn’t want to be named, described the
experience of being raided by the police. She said, “When I heard the noise my
first instinct was to run and call the police. Then I realised it was the
police.
“They said they had a warrant, but they didn’t show us one. When they had
gone, the flat looked like it had been struck by a storm. There were holes in
the wall where they had used a hammer, and wiring ripped out. All our things
were thrown on the floor, and the mattresses overturned.”
There is a vibrant Somali community in south east London, but in recent months
people talk of a climate of fear created by the police.
Islow, a young Somali man, says, “The way the police behave around here is
terrible. They are racist. I’ve been stopped and searched six times.They are
like wild dogs, I was put in a neck hold, and was picked up and thrown to the
ground.”
His friend agreed, “The police suddenly appear from nowhere. The last time one
of them said ‘sit down you black bastard’ and pushed me to the ground. A lot
of the time they simply tell you to move and push you.”
While Metropolitan Police comissioner Ian Blair is pointing to the insitutional
racism of the media, south east London shows the reality of racism by the
police. Plumstead police station in the area was at the heart of the scandal
around the Stephen Lawerence case.
Terrifying
On the night of the killing of Steven Lawerence in April 1993, witness Duwayne
Brooks was mistreated there and made to feel like a suspect. Several detectives
at Plumstead were identified as being part of the “institutional racism” of
the Metropolitan police in the Macpherson report.
More recently Patricia Coker’s son Paul died at Plumstead police station in
August 2005. At a meeting last week she said, “To have someone taken away by
the state in this way is terrifying.
“The people at the top are simply not doing what needs to be done. A
disproportionate number of those who die in these circumstances are black. Is
this because they treat all people of colour as criminals?”
Another case gives an insight into the atmosphere within the police.
On Monday of last week policeman Warren Bell appeared at Bow Street Magistrates
charged with racially aggravated public order and a public order offence. He was
alleged to have made monkey noises at a 20-year old man while he was in the
custody suite at Plumstead station. He was suspended last year.
It is not simply a few officers overstepping the mark. Last year Tarique Ghaffur,
a Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner and the man responsible for
community policing, launched an attack on the Somali community.
He told the Financial Times newspaper, “The Somali community, have got no
established roots, no sense of citizenship, no active youth diversion.”
The Justice for Nuur campaign is demanding that there is an independent inquiry
into the circumstances surrounding his death and that the police officers
involved are immediately suspended from duty. It also wants an immediate and
independent investigation into Woolwich police’s alleged harassment of young
men, especially those of the Somali community.
Justice for Nuur demonstration, assemble 2pm Saturday 4 February, Plumstead
police station, Plumstead High Street, London SE18
=====
