Growing backlash over Muslim PC embassy row

13 April 2012

The decision to excuse a Muslim policeman from guarding the Israeli embassy on moral grounds was a "grave error", it was claimed today.

Lord Janner, former president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said it was the duty of police officers to protect British citizens and their guests.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair has called for an urgent review after it emerged Pc Alexander Omar Basha was allowed the dispensation.

• Chain of command behind police decision

• Muslims outraged by Jack Straw's veil veto

Pc Basha, who is attached to the Met's Diplomatic Protection Group, asked not to work at the embassy in London because he objected to the bombing of Lebanon.

Lord Janner said: "It would be a grave error for this to be permitted. Our police force has to protect British people and their guests."

Earlier, Sir Ian said: "Having learned of this issue I have asked for an urgent review of the situation and a full report into the circumstances."

Lord Janner added: "In my view, as a police officer your job and your moral obligations are to do your duty and to protect people. I think it is a grave error to allow a policeman to move off his duty in that way.

"I support the inquiry into this new idea that a policeman who has a moral objection to his duty can step back and won't do it."

The former Labour MP pointed out that during the miners' strike, officers who lived in pit communities still had to do their jobs.

He said of the decision to allow the police officer a dispensation: "Once you start letting that in you are in a bad way."

However, Ihtisham Hibatullah of the British Muslim Initiative defended the decision to allow dispensation to the officer.

He said: "As an individual and as an officer, given his family connections in Lebanon, he had a moral obligation to say what he firmly believed, that he could not serve.

"The whole world objected to the Lebanon war and the killing of innocent people."

He denied the move could cause chaos with other officers requesting to be removed from duties, saying it was a "unique situation".

Scotland Yard said it would consider special requests to move on moral grounds with each case considered separately.

But former Flying Squad commander John O'Connor criticised the decision as "the beginning of the end for British policing".

"When you join the police, you do so to provide a service to the public. If you cannot perform those duties, you leave," he told The Sun.

Superintendent Dal Babu, chairman of the Association of Muslim Police, said the officer had felt "uncomfortable and unsafe" guarding the embassy during the Lebanon conflict, and had relatives in the country.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "What we need to do is just really put this entire issue in perspective. This is about the welfare of an individual and not about a moral issue.

"I think we are going down a very, very slippery road if we start having postings based on individual officers' conscience.

"As police officers we have to deal with some very, very difficult situations and we need to be objective and make sure that we police all members of the community fairly. We can't pick and choose."

Chief Superintendent Ali Desai, an adviser to the National Black Police Association, told Today: "I don't think this is that big an issue. We do give dispensations to officers all the time."

However Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate, a former head of the Police Superintendents Association, said that he believed that the case of Pc Basha was "a step too far".

"If officers have political, religious, ideological or moral views about things - and all officers will do - then they have got to put their duties above that because their service is to the public," he told the programme.

"Once we start going down the road of granting these dispensations it raises all sorts of difficult questions."

The Metropolitan Police Authority said in a statement that it had asked for a report on the matter because it could "undermine confidence in policing" and it would be "unacceptable" for officers to choose their duties.

It said: "MPA chair Len Duvall has asked the Commissioner for a full briefing. There may be specific welfare issues of which we are as yet not fully aware.

"Officers often have to undertake duties where the subject of their duty may be in conflict with their personal beliefs.

"It would, of course, be unacceptable for any officer to expect to choose which duties they are assigned to.

"The way in which this story is currently being interpreted has the potential to undermine confidence in policing and this is why we have asked for a report as soon as possible."

A Home Office spokeswoman had no comment, saying: "It is a matter for the Metropolitan Police."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in