West Midlands Police will pay out over £820,000 to former firearms officer Rebecca Kalam, who won a sex discrimination case. Kalam was awarded £30,000 last November, but the new payout is for loss of earnings and pension. She hoped to become chief constable, but claimed that she suffered harassment, sex discrimination and victimisation while in her role. Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green apologised for the “significant impact” that Kalam had experienced, which he recognised had been highlighted during the tribunal. Kalam had said that she remained in the department to try to reform its culture from the inside.
During the tribunal, Kalam stated that on one occasion, she had been stripped down to her underwear during a training exercise. On another, she said a male officer pushed her down with his foot on the back of her neck while she was doing press-ups before telling her that having breasts “does not mean you cannot do a press-up”. The tribunal’s unanimous decision determined that Kalam was entitled to the compensation.
West Midlands Police have not revealed the amount spent on legal fees fighting the case. Three serving firearms officers are currently suspended and ten are under investigation. Paul Odle, of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which supported Kalam, said: “If we can’t even protect our own from inside the organisation, how can we…protect the public if that’s how we behave internally ?”
In a statement, West Midlands Police said that many of the issues regarding Kalam date back to 2012 and that, during the past two years, the firearms department had worked hard to “improve culture, standards and the working environment”. Green stated that there was “no place in policing for misogynistic, discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour” and that the force had made progress to ensure that it “is trusted by the public as we go about our duty to protect them.”
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