- Saturday, April 20, 2024
ONE OF the leading police officials in the United Kingdom (UK) has said that police forces should admit to being "institutionally racist." Gavin Stephens, the chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), said the police needs to facing these issues openly to rebuild trust within local communities. Stephens, who…
THE family of a cyclist who died following a road accident said the London School of Economics (LSE) student wanted to "bring all her expertise back to India to change lives". Cheistha Kochhar, who was pursuing her PhD in behavioural research, died following a collision involving a refuse lorry on…
An Indian student pursuing her PhD at the London School of Economics died while cycling to her apartment last week. The victim, Cheistha Kochhar (33), died on the spot after being hit by a garbage truck on March 19. The accident took place on Clerkenwell Road, near the junction with…
A 26-year-old pro-Khalistan Sikh activist who pleaded guilty to causing injury to two Asian-origin men and a female police officer at an Indian Independence Day event in London last year has been sentenced to 28 months imprisonment. Gurpreet Singh appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty in…
INDIANS are becoming victims of frequent muggings in London, especially for Rolex watches in Mayfair, with police allegedly doing little to respond to their appeals for help. The traumatic experience of senior lawyer Vijay Goel, founder of the Indo-European Business Forum, as relayed to Eastern Eye, appears to be fairly…
LONDON’S MAYOR, Sadiq Khan, has warned of dirty tricks to spread lies and misinformation about him during May’s mayoral race. In an exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, Khan said that those who do not like him will use deep fake artificial intelligence to try to discredit him. Last year (November),…
A Tunisian man who stabbed and killed his 19-year-old British Indian girlfriend in 2022 has been given an indefinite hospital order by a UK court. Sabita Thanwani, an aspiring psychologist, was stabbed in the neck by 24-year-old Maher Maaroufe at her student accommodation in Clerkenwell, east London, on March 19,…
A couple's criminal scheme to fund their extravagant lifestyle has come to an end with their recent conviction. Ashley Singh, 39, and Sophie Bruyea, 20, of Widmore Road, Bromley, have been found guilty of stealing bank and SIM cards from gym-goers' lockers. Singh and Bruyea executed their crimes with precision,…
THE Metropolitan Police on Thursday (21) appealed for information to piece together the last movements of a missing Indian student whose body was found by divers in a lake in Canary Wharf, east London. The force said Gurashman Singh Bhatia, 23, had been reported missing after a night out with…
British authorities announced on Tuesday (19) that an Indian man, arrested in London under a provisional American warrant amid a US-UK coordinated operation targeting terrorism financing, has been extradited to the US after consenting to face trial in America. Madurai-born Sundar Nagarajan, 65, was arrested by the Metropolitan Police's National…
THREE people have been convicted for the brutal murder of 35-year-old Shakira Spencer, who suffered prolonged torment and abuse leading to her death. Ashana Studholme, 38, Shaun Pendlebury, 26, and Lisa Richardson, 44, were found guilty of murder and preventing the lawful burial of Spencer after a 12-week trial at…
TV presenter Nicola Thorp spoke for the first time after saying that the person who stalked her for two years has been jailed for 30 months. The 34-year-old, who played Pat Phelan’s daughter Nicola Rubinstein on the successful ITV soap Coronation Street, revealed that she had been subjected to rape…
The London mayor's office strongly condemned a "grotesquely irresponsible" attack on a camera responsible for enforcing the city's ultra-low emission zone (Ulez). The incident involved damaging the camera with what seemed to be a homemade bomb, posing a risk to lives, The Guardian reported. No immediate response regarding the incident…
A FORMER Met Police officer who searched police computer systems for his own purposes has been spared jail. Constable Mohammed Rahman, 39, who “abused” his position of trust, was on Friday (1) sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment, suspended for two years. However, he is subjected to 100 hours of…
A 23-year-old Indian student who went missing in the UK last month has been found dead in the River Thames. Mitkumar Patel arrived in the UK for higher studies in September and was reported missing on November 17. The Metropolitan Police discovered his body in the River Thames near the…
A teenager who died of stab injuries in a street fight in south-west London has been identified by the Metropolitan Police on Friday (17) as Simarjeet Singh Nangpal, a British Sikh. The Met Police said four men, aged 21, 27, 31, and 71, remain in custody after being arrested on…
FIVE members of a family, including a woman and her three children, were killed in a house fire in west London last Sunday (12) evening. The woman has been identified as Seema Ratra, but the three children have not been named. Their father, Aroen Kishen, who survived the fire, was…
THE number of non-white cabinet ministers has come down from five to four after prime minister Rishi Sunak reshuffled his core team on Monday (13). Suella Braverman was sacked as home secretary and former prime minister David Camaron was made foreign secretary as part of the exercise. While Sunak -…
In a recent Met Police operation, homeless people's tents in central London were destroyed on Huntley Street, Camden on Friday (10). Refuse workers, reportedly working with the police, threw the tents into a lorry. Elodie Berland, a volunteer with the outreach organisation Streets Kitchen, recorded the scene after being called…
MORE THAN 300,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London on Saturday (11), with police arresting over 120 people as they sought to stop far-right counter-protesters from ambushing the main rally. Skirmishes broke out between police and the far-right groups gathered to protest against the demonstration taking place on Armistice Day,…
Rishi Sunak is facing mounting pressure to dismiss Suella Braverman over her comments about the Metropolitan Police which were made without the approval of the prime minister. Opposition parties are demanding removal of the home secretary as investigations are launched into her article on the pro-Palestine march. Braverman had suggested…
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has sparked controversy with accusations that the Metropolitan Police are "playing favourites" in their handling of pro-Palestinian protests. In an article published in The Times, Braverman alleged that while right-wing protests that turned aggressive were often stopped, "pro-Palestinian mobs" were allowed to continue. The Met Police…
THE Metropolitan Police has ended its relationship with an adviser after the revelation of a two-year old video of him leading a pro-Palestine chant. The recording, first reported by The Telegraph, shows London Muslim Communities Forum chair Attiq Malik instigating chants of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will…
A British Sikh retired postmaster has been jailed for at least 15 years for murdering his wife with a rounders bat. Tarsame Singh, 79, was sentenced on last Wednesday (1) at Snaresbrook Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to killing his wife, Maya Devi, 77, in May. The incident took…
Four police officers sustained injuries when pro-Palestinian demonstrators launched fireworks into crowds in central London. Law enforcement made 29 arrests on suspicion of racially motivated crimes in connection with the incident. The Metropolitan Police said more than 1,300 officers were on duty on Saturday (4) as tens of thousands of…
A GROSS misconduct hearing has found that a former Scotland Yard sergeant would have been dismissed without notice were he still in his post after being found to have breached professional standards with "inappropriate behaviour" as a police officer. Former Metropolitan Police Sergeant Anish Sharma, who was based on the…
ANTISEMITIC and Islamaphobic incidents have almost doubled in just over a week in London, police data showed on Friday (27), in the wake of the attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel nearly three weeks ago and subsequent bombardment by Israel of Gaza. There have been growing tensions in Britain…
FAITH and community leaders, activists and MPs have urged Britons not to let their anger and frustrations over the Israel-Palestine conflict to spill over into violence on the streets of the UK. On October 7, Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on killing at least 1,400 people…
Police forces need to ensure that the implementation of facial recognition technology leads to arrests and convictions of shoplifters, the head of independent retailers has told Eastern Eye. The Metropolitan Police last Thursday (19) announced that it will use facial recognition technology to tackle London's worst shoplifters by matching CCTV…
Selma Taha, the director of Southall Black Sisters, a women's organisation, found herself in the midst of a racially-motivated attack in an incident that took place on Friday (29) in the London Underground. The altercation unfolded when Taha and her two friends were on a Northern line train and despite…
THE Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has shut down the embattled law firm Axiom Ince with immediate effect, the regulator said on Tuesday (3). Axiom’s managing director Pragnesh Modhwadia was suspended in August on the suspicion of "dishonesty” after a £64 million hole had been detected in the firm’s client account.…
AXIOM INCE is set to collapse into administration following allegations of fraud at the law firm, media reports have said. It filed an application “to give notice of an intention to appoint an administrator”, the Law Society Gazette said, citing a court notice published on Monday (2). Axiom’s website has…
MET POLICE officers have opened an investigation into a law firm after allegations that its former boss misappropriated client money. The probe follows a referral from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) which noticed a £64 million hole in the client account of Axiom Ince. Axiom’s managing director Pragnesh Modhwadia has…
DISILLUSIONED retailers have told Eastern Eye they have stopped reporting crime after a lack of action by the police. Violence and abuse against those working in retail, including racial and sexual attacks, physical assault and threats with weapons have almost doubled from pre-pandemic levels to over 850 per day, according…
Home secretary Suella Braverman has initiated a review of the legal protections for police officers engaged in firearms duties, in response to a rebellion within the ranks of Scotland Yard following the murder charge brought against a Metropolitan Police officer who discharged his weapon while on duty. The Ministry of…
Several London police officers have withdrawn from firearms duties following the murder charge against a fellow officer in the fatal shooting of a young black man, a spokesperson for the force said on Sunday (24). The highly unusual protest by officers prompted interior minister Suella Braverman to stress that firearms…
A CONCERTED effort to increase ethnic minority representation is part of cultural reforms within the Metropolitan Police service after it emerged that more than 1,000 officers are currently suspended or on restricted duties. Out of the Met’s workforce of about 34,000 officers, 201 are suspended and around 860 are on…
A British Sikh crossbow-armed intruder who has admitted to committing treason after telling royal guards at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 that he was there to kill Queen Elizabeth II has apologised to King Charles III and the royal family, a UK court heard on Friday (15). Jaswant Singh…
IN FEBRUARY 1999, Sir William Macpherson released a devastating report into the racist murder of the black teenager, Stephen Lawrence. The term ‘institutional racism’ started to prick the conscience of our wonderfully tolerant country. I say this without any hint of sarcasm or irony because I can’t imagine living in…
A speeding motorist, Syed Minhaz Ahmed, 32, from Newham in northeast London has been sentenced to four years in prison for causing the death of cyclist Jay Kristiansen, 31, in a hit-and-run incident. Ahmed was driving at over 65mph in a 30mph zone when he collided with Kristiansen, who tragically…
A radical Islamist preacher with dual British and Pakistani nationality charged with three terrorism-related offences will face a trial in May next year, a UK court ruled on Friday (4). Anjem Choudary, 56, was arrested at his home in east London by the Metropolitan Police last month and charged with…
A group of 26 racial justice organisations has expressed disapproval of the Metropolitan police for their refusal to acknowledge the central conclusion of the Casey review, which identifies the force as institutionally racist, reported The Guardian. In an open letter addressed to Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, they criticised the…
AN ELDERLY Asian man, who walked into a London police station earlier this year to inform officers he had killed his wife, has pleaded guilty to murdering her with a hard wooden bat used in the English game of rounders. Tarsame Singh, 79, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday…
THE Tory candidate for mayor of London Susan Hall said policing and homes will be her main agenda as she prepares to take on Labour mayor Sadiq Khan at the election in May 2024. She told Conservative activists at the Battle of Britain Bunker, in Uxbridge, “We have to show…
Susan Hall has been elected as the Conservatives’ candidate to run for mayor of London. It was announced, on Wednesday (19) morning, Hall had defeated her rival Moz Hossain, winning 57 per cent of the vote, against his 43 per cent, reports Noah Vickers. Hall, who will go up against…
AN INDIAN national arrested in the UK on a provisional US warrant as part of a coordinated action targeting terrorism financing will challenge his extradition on human rights and dual criminality grounds, a court in London was told last Wednesday (12). Madurai-born Sundar Nagarajan, 65, appeared via videolink from prison…
BARONESS Louise Casey was appointed to review the force’s culture and standards after the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, in 2021. During the course of her review, another Met officer, David Carrick, was convicted of a series of rapes, sexual offences and…
THE Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said he is determined to “cut the cancer” out of the police force as he announced plans to reform the organisation. An independent review in March found the Met Police to be “institutionally racist, misogynistic, homophobic” and unable to police itself. It…
AN Indian national who was arrested in the UK on a provisional US warrant as part of a coordinated action targeting terrorism financing will challenge his extradition on human rights and dual criminality grounds, a court in London was told on Wednesday (12). Madurai-born Sundar Nagarajan, 65, appeared via videolink…
MET POLICE will reopen an investigation into Covid-19 lockdown breaches at a December 2020 event held in the headquarters of the governing Conservative Party in London following an assessment of new evidence. However, police said other referrals, made to them by the government following an examination of former prime minister…
A 50-YEAR-OLD, who used the lure of jobs at his massage parlour to rape young women across London, has been sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment. Wood Green Crown Court unanimously found Raghu Singamaneni guilty of rape and sexual assault involving four women. His sentencing took place on Friday (16).…
A 23-YEAR-OLD man was on Thursday charged with the murder of Indian student Tejaswini Kontham and the attempted murder of her friend at a residential address in Wembley, north London. The Metropolitan Police said Keven Antonio Lourenco De Morais, previously referred to as a Brazilian national, has been remanded in…
A 27-YEAR-OLD Indian-origin woman has been stabbed to death in north London. Scotland Yard on Wednesday (14) said two men were arrested in connection with the murder. The incident took place at a residential property in Neeld Crescent, Wembley on Tuesday (13). While the murder victim is yet to be…
A group of Asian men, including a father-son duo, have been convicted of running what the Metropolitan Police described as a large-scale fake pharmaceuticals drugs factory in west London. The Cyber Crime Unit of the Met Police said it led an investigation after receiving intelligence from the US Drug Enforcement…
A man has been charged with the murder of his wife in Tower Hamlets, the Metropolitan Police said. Aminan Rahman, 45, of Orchard Place, appeared in custody at the Old Bailey on Tuesday (9) for murdering Suma Begum, 24. She was reported missing from an address in Orchard Place, Tower…
Two teenagers have been sentenced to life in jail after they were found guilty of killing a 16-year-old boy who they mistakenly thought belonged to a rival gang. Vanushan Balakrishnan of Waylands and Ilyas Suleiman of St Jeromes Grove, Hillingdon, both 18-year-old, were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Wednesday…
King Charles has been urged by prominent community and business leaders to use his reign to tackle inequalities within British society. More than 2,200 people will attend the coronation at Westminster Abbey on Saturday (6), among them international representatives from 203 countries as well as community and charity workers. The…
As part of a joint UK-US operation against financing terrorism, a person of Indian nationality with address in the UK and Belgium was apprehended in London by Scotland Yard. He was on an extradition warrant from the US. Sundar Nagarajan, who also goes by Nagarajan Sundar Poongulam Kasiviswanathan Naga and…
A “prolific” group of four burglars who often struck Asians across London, targeting them for their high-value gold, has been jailed. They stole jewellery worth £39,695 and £13,340 in cash by targeting the elderly and vulnerable during their burglary spree which lasted a little more than two months last year.…
A police reform campaigner has told Eastern Eye that the service’s regulatory bodies were not yet “fit for purpose” as the fall-out from the death of young police officer Anugrah Abraham continues. Abraham, known as Anu, died by suicide on March 21 after he had been left suffering from “severe…
London's police force said on Thursday (6) it had dismissed dozens of officers in the last six months and was going through older misconduct cases in its bid to restore public trust and clean up its image after a series of scandals. Last month, an independent review found the Metropolitan…
The West Midlands Police promised to encourage more diversity in its ranks as the force launched an overhaul of neighbourhood policing on Monday (3). Chief constable Craig Guildford told the BBC that under the new policing model the force has pledged to give local commanders better resources to make officers…
An independent review published on Tuesday (21) has said that the Metropolitan Police in London is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic and unable to police itself. The report also suggested that the force has failed to hold itself accountable for its actions. The release of this review puts pressure on…
A former UK policeman jailed for life for murder was sentenced to an additional 19 months in prison on Monday (6) for indecent exposure, raising questions about whether he could have been stopped sooner. Wayne Couzens, 50, is already serving a rare whole-life sentence for the kidnap, rape and murder…
A FORMER officer of Metropolitan Police has accused the department of targeting her for being a whistleblower on alleged racism. According to her, it happened after she faced the threat of legal action over a memoir she penned detailing her sour experience in service. However, despite the legal and other…
A Londoner man who was found guilty of the murder of his father by smashing a champagne bottle over his head in north London has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Deekan Paul Singh Vig, 54, was convicted following a trial at the Old Bailey last month and was sentenced to…
London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a plan to invest £8.5 million to tackle violence across the capital and raise standards in the Met Police.His announcement comes after 16 people were stabbed and one shot dead in the city in the last five days.The funding is aimed at tackling drug…
In a shocking case that has dominated headlines in the UK, an Indian-origin judge on Tuesday handed down 36 life sentences to a serial rapist convicted of violent and brutal sexual offences against a dozen women over a 17-year period as a Scotland Yard police officer. Justice Parmjit Kaur "Bobbie"…
A paedophile in north London, aged above 60, has been sent to jail for having sex with a teenage girl. Anandarajah Bremakumar from Colindale, Barnet, abused the girl in 2010 when she was 16 but the police came to learn about the incident only in 2019 when a report was…
A British Sikh man who wanted to “assassinate” Queen Elizabeth II on Christmas Day in 2021 and was caught on the grounds of Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow has admitted to committing treason. Jaswant Singh Chail, who identified himself as an “Indian Sikh”, wanted to kill the late monarch…
A new report has revealed that the Metropolitan Police missed many chances to protect a woman from her former husband in the six years before he killed her with a crossbow. Ramanodge Unmathallegadoo fired an arrow into Sana Muhammad's, 35, stomach at her Ilford home on 12 November, 2018. Muhammad…
Hundreds of officers in London are likely be sacked for sexual and domestic abuse offences, Britain's most senior policeman said on Tuesday as he sought to regain public trust after an officer admitted being a serial rapist. London's Metropolitan Police, which has been rocked by scandals in recent years, was…
A serving London police officer has admitted carrying out 24 counts of rape in a near two decade-long campaign of abuse against women, making him one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders. The Metropolitan Police and the country's prosecution service said David Carrick, 48, had used his position of power…
There has been a rise in the number of Metropolitan Police officers put on restricted duties because of ongoing investigations into allegations of racism or sexual misconduct levelled against them.While 43 officers were not allowed to hold public-facing roles at the end of November because of the allegations of racism,…
Pakistan on Thursday (12) rejected the reports in British media that a uranium-tainted cargo package that landed at London's Heathrow Airport last month originated from Karachi, saying the news is "not factual". The BBC reported on Wednesday that British counterterrorism police were investigating after border officers seized cargo contaminated with…
According to data from the NHS, 1 in 3 drivers who are killed in road traffic accidents is over the legal alcohol limit. Also, each year, there are reportedly 280 fatalities due to drink driving. After losing his 18-year-old son to drink driving, a US-based neurosurgeon Dr Brian Hoeflinger has…
Officers across the Met are conducting proactive and high-visibility patrols to protect young people from robbery after sunset. It has been reported that school-going children are also being targeted by criminals as they return to their studies after the Christmas recess. On Thursday (5) night, Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley…
A trainee officer sacked from the Met Police has won a discrimination claim against the force.Shafi Karim worked as a probationary officer for five before he was dismissed in 2021 after his bosses raised concerns about his hearing abilities. He was advised to use a Rogers Pen wireless microphone as…
The Metropolitan Police has questioned a court's decision to suspend the sentence of a man who threw scalding hot water over a police officer's face during a racist attack. Earlier this month, the Uxbridge Magistrates' Court suspended the 26-week prison term of Astric Mala, 47, who a attacked the officer.…
A former Met Police officer, found guilty of misconduct during pandemic restrictions, has been barred from returning to any policing role.Hassan Mahmood visited a woman in her house in Mitcham in south London in January 2021 and paid her for sex. He was fined £660 at the City of London…
A RETIRED judge has asked the Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, to investigate TV celebrity, Jeremy Clarkson, for hate crime. It follows the former BBC Top Gear presenter’s column in The Sun in which he said he hated the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. Clarkson wrote, “At night, I'm…
Senior figures in the government are believed to favour a review of devolution for London amid concerns over mayor Sadiq Khan’s handling of the Met Police and the fire service.His recent announcement on the expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez) across the capital next summer has further ruffled the…
Sadiq Khan will seek re-election as the mayor of London as the Labour party has chosen him as its candidate for the 2024 election. If the incumbent succeeds in his bid to win a third term, he will be the first person to achieve the feat in the history of…
Conservative MP Bob Stewart is being investigated after being accused of racially abusing a Bahraini rights activist. Sayed Alwadaei, who had fled his native country in 2012 after being jailed and tortured for taking part in pro-democracy protests, complained to the Met Police that Stewart told him to “get stuffed”…
A retired Met Police detective of south Asian heritage has said officers close ranks to defend their colleagues facing allegations of racism.Shabnam Chaudhri, who previously claimed an officer had held a weapon to her head while calling her a ‘P**i, said racism is disguised as banter in the police force.She…
London mayor Sadiq Khan has claimed that he was stopped from reading out sexist texts from Metropolitan Police officers at meeting, adding that he was being 'censored' from reading those messages. Khan claimed he was not allowed to read out horrific messages of racism and sexism from the officers in…
A now-sacked Met Police officer who lived a “lavish life” claimed she was unaware that her Albanian husband was a drug dealer.Constable Rasvinder Agalliu was booted from the force last month after a police disciplinary panel rejected her claim that she did not know about Julian’s criminal activities that funded…
Met Police Sikh Association chair Ravjeet Gupta has said his turban reminds him to protect and serve. In a blog published on the Met Police website following the 25th anniversary of the Association, Gupta spoke about the role his faith plays in keeping London safe. He said Sikhism believes “in…
A young man stabbed to death in London’s Westminster on Monday has been identified as Omar Abdullah, as the Met Police have appealed for information from the public to find out the attackers. Officers, who arrived at the spot in the vicinity of Lilestone Street, found Abdullah, 21, dead at…
A Metropolitan Police officer has been found guilty of threatening a woman driver in a road rage incident in Wandsworth. Trainee detective constable Ajitpal Lotay appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (30). The officer, who is attached to the south east command unit, has been found guilty of a…
A man has been convicted of manslaughter after accidentally shooting and killing a friend on Halloween in Harlington. Chiragh Chiragh, 39, of Paulhan Road, Harrow, was convicted guilty of manslaughter and possession of a weapon with intent to endanger life by the Isleworth Crown Court last week. Mohamed Muhyidin, 28,…
A west London man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for the attempted murder of his lover’s wife.Firad Muhammed of Ellison Gardens, Ealing, travelled to his victim’s home in Bromley in October 2020 and shot the 32-year-old man in his legs twice. He fled the scene leaving no…
A misconduct panel found a Met Police officer had sent dozens of “grossly obscene, racist and deeply distressing” messages to his former boyfriend. Police constable Mohammed Afzal’s text messages to his former partner in 2020 included “ur going back to P**iland I mean Karachi wasteland" and "go find the Hindu…
A man was found guilty of murdering a Walthamstow dad-of-two following a stabbing in Brent in June last year. Abraheem Sikander, 24, of Dale Grove was found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday (7) of murdering Mohammad Raza Gulzar, 29. Sikander was also found guilty of possession of an…
A 'glamorous' Met Police officer who wanted to be an actor has been removed from the service after police found narcotics, large amounts of cash and a cannabis farm at her London home, according to reports. PC Rasvinder Agalliu based at the Central West Command Unit was dismissed on Tuesday…
Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens' colleagues in the Metropolitan Police were jailed for sharing misogynistic and racist messages on WhatsApp, according to reports. PC Jonathon Cobban, 35, and former PC Joel Borders, 45, were sentenced for three months by District Judge Sarah Turnock at Westminster magistrates court. They were members…
Businesses in London have been urged to join a new scheme which was launched on Tuesday (25) to protect them from the growing threat of cybercrime. The new measure was facilitated by funding from mayor Sadiq Khan who wants to make London the world's safest city to do business online.…
British Asian officers and staff of the Metropolitan Police are substantially more likely to receive an allegation of misconduct than their white colleagues, a damning report has concluded. Baroness Louise Casey's review into the UK’s largest police force has found racial disparity exists in the misconduct system and “white officers…
A much-awaited review into the Metropolitan Police’s culture and standards is pitching for easing of procedures to sack misogynist and racist officers of the force, media reports said. According to the probe by Baroness Louise Casey, too many “abhorrent” individuals continued to remain on the frontline of Scotland Yard because…
The Metropolitan Police on Friday (14) made a fresh appeal for information regarding the tragic death of Ricky Reel in Kingston in 1997 as his family alleged that 'race played a role' in his death. According to the family, racism played a key role in the tragedy as he 20-year-old's…
Britain’s largest police force has said it is actively working on the commitment to record the ethnicity of drivers stopped by its offers.The Metropolitan Police ran such a pilot in London for six months last year after being asked by the Mayor’s Action Plan on Accountability and Trust in Policing.However,…
The Metropolitan Police has formed a specialist team to investigate domestic and sexual abuse allegations against police personnel, reports said. It was reported that the new Domestic and Sexual Offences Unit, nicknamed the Daso team, has received 625 complaints so far. The unit resembles the fictional unit, AC-12, in BBC…
Two Metropolitan Police officers, including a British Indian personnel, were charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a woman was killed in an accident. Shante Daniel-Folkes, 25, from Norwood, died at the scene after being struck by a police car in Stockwell Road, Brixton, on June 9 last year.…
UK police watchdog has started a criminal investigation against six serving police officers and a former officer over 'discriminatory, derogatory or pornographic' messages on a WhatsApp group, according to reports. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched the probe against five officers serving with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary…
Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has reunited with his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif in London three years after authorities returned her passport following a court order. Maryam, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice-president, who arrived in London on Thursday, was received by her brother Hassan Nawaz Sharif and son…
A former Metropolitan Police officer has been suspended for posting 'vile and deplorable' racist and derogatory comments on a WhatsApp group, which included former Met officers, media reports said. Rob Lewis, who has been working on contract with Border Force, has allegedly created the group. According to the BBC, his…
British home secretary Suella Braverman may ensure suspects anonymity before they are charged in a radical change to the existing criminal justice system, according to reports. The minister told a Young Conservatives event on Monday (3) that the government is considering such a proposal due to concern over the identification…
Sir Mark Rowley, the new commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, refused to call the force institutionally racist, although he said he was “candid” about the challenges it was facing. Specifically asked if the Met was institutionally racist, he said he was “not interested in using labels that are being kicked…
New Metropolitan Police boss Sir Mark Rowley has vowed to “ruthlessly” root out racists and misogynists from the organisation. He admitted Scotland Yard had been “far too weak” in taking on those who undermined the honest and dedicated majority. But he said he was determined to “get the culture right”…
A serving officer of the Metropolitan Police is facing trial for his alleged involvement in child sex. Police constable Hussain Chehab has been charged with 13 offences including sexual activity with an underage girl and taking indecent images of children. Chehab, arrested in July 2021, is accused of sexual activity…
The Metropolitan Police needs to improve its recording of the grounds for stop and search, a watchdog has found. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) estimated in its report that close to 76 per cent of all stop and searches conducted by Scotland Yard during…
The suspension of a firearms officer of the Metropolitan Police following the fatal shooting of rapper Chris Kaba last week is believed to have demoralised their colleagues who are threatening to surrender their weapons. “They were planning to hand in their tickets and step back from armed duties” after the…
The family of Chris Kaba, who was killed in a police firing in south London last week, has accused the watchdog IOPC of being slow in its investigation into the incident. Kaba’s cousin Jefferson Bosela, said the family was informed of the 24-year-old rapper’s death 11 hours after his death…
Rights groups have deplored the arrests of anti-monarchy protesters in the UK during events following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Two young people have been arrested in Scotland since Sunday over breach of peace and public order while a man was rounded up in England for similar reasons. The…
Campaign groups come together to urge the Metropolitan Police to do away with the “privacy-eroding” facial recognition technology. In an open letter to Sir Mark Rowley, the new commission of the force, 14 charities including Big Brother Watch, Liberty and Black Lives Matter UK, claimed that the technology was “inaccurate…
Dame Cressida Dick “felt intimidated” into stepping down as the chief of the Metropolitan Police after an ultimatum from London mayor Sadiq Khan, a review into the circumstances leading to her resignation has concluded. Dame Cressida - the first woman to head the Met Police - quit as its commissioner…
London mayor Sadiq Khan has said that he has 'been disturbed by the apparent degree of bias' in the draft report over the handling of former Metropolitan police commissioner Cressida Dick, media reports said. Sadiq Khan has written to home secretary Priti Patel regarding the report by Sir Tom Winsor,…
The Metropolitan Police has apologised over its training material which appeared to "racially stereotype" people of Turkish heritage.Scotland Yard said it “misjudged the wider impact” of a case study in the material, which had been “designed by educational professionals”. A Turkish Muslim man was the subject of the case study…
The UK is planning to jail men who sexually harass women in public for up to two years under the new rules proposed by the government, media reports said. The Home Office launched a consultation in this regard for amending the 1986 public order act to create a new offence…
As the cost of living crisis threatens to reverse reductions in violent crime, closer partnership between the Met Police and communities is key to preventing and tackling violence, London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Thursday (11), a release from his press office said. He visited Engine Room youth centre in…
Metropolitan Police strip-searched 650 children between 2018 and 2020, according to new data which also revealed the ethnic disproportionality of the action. The data, analysed by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, showed that almost three out of five (58 per cent) children subjected to strip searches…
A man, arrested with a crossbow at Windsor Castle in London last year, has been charged with treason. Met Police said Jaswant Singh Chail from Southampton has also been charged with making threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon with intent to "alarm her Majesty”. The 20-year-old man…
A privacy campaign group and a politician have mounted a legal challenge to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to provide the Met Police with larger access to number plate recognition cameras in the British capital. Police previously had access only to ‘reads’ (number plate identifications) from Automated Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR)…
The Metropolitan Police warned officers against participating in 'porn idol' events at a nightclub in London even if they are off duty, media reports said. The force said that officers may face 'disciplinary action' if they participate in the event. Men and women strip for cash prizes in the weekly…
A Metropolitan Police officer based in central London was arrested and freed under investigation following a concert ticket fraud worth £450,000, reports said. Around 400 Met officers and staff paid for cheap tickets through the social club fund, ran by the accused officer, which did not materialise and were not…
HUNDREDS of young Londoners have been diverted away from the dangers of County Lines gangs by an intervention scheme set up by mayor Sadiq Khan, according to a report published on Wednesday (27). The Rescue and Response report, by Brent Council on the impact of the £5.6 million scheme, revealed that…
An elderly woman lay dead unnoticed in a London flat for more than two years but her landlord received rent all along.Met Police found the skeletal remains of Sheila Seleoane in February this year after receiving a phone call from a neighbour, an inquest heard. The force believes the 61-year-old…
British Indian comedian Paul Chowdhry said he was attacked when he was driving in central London, in yet another incident of ethnic minority people becoming targets of thugs.He confirmed the incident in an Instagram message on Saturday but said he was “fine”.His message came in response to two posts which…
A man was found guilty of murdering a British Indian mother of two in London and attacking another stranger, the Metropolitan Police said. James Sinclair, 31, will be sentenced on Friday (8) for killing Shadika Mohsin Patel, 40, in East Ham. Later, he attempted to kill another woman after he…
TWO people have been arrested on suspicion of abducting a child who was snatched from her carer in East London on Thursday (30). Manjinder, 3, was found "safe and well" within an hour of being taken from her legal guardians after an urgent search and appeal was launched, Met Police…
A man of no fixed abode has been charged with the murder of Zara Aleena, who died after being attacked at Cranbrook Road, in Ilford, the Metropolitan Police said. Aleena, 35, was found with extensive head injuries on Sunday (26) morning and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. Jordan McSweeney, 29,…
A NEW anonymous survey was launched on Tuesday (28) that will help improve the service that crime victims receive from the police. The survey, which has been set up by London’s Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Met, will capture the views and experiences of victims of…
The Metropolitan Police has made eight more voluntary referrals to the Independent Office for Police Conduct involving strip searches of children.The referrals come as the police watchdog is investigating four Met Police officers over an alleged inappropriate strip search of a black girl, identified as Child Q, at an east…
A 31-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his 89-year-old grandmother in south London, Scotland Yard said.Verushan Manoharan, 31, was charged by detectives investigating the murder of Sakunthala Francis in Croydon earlier this week.He was arrested at the scene a short time after Francis was found dead with…
A police watchdog is investigating four Met Police officers over an alleged inappropriate strip-search of a black girl at an east London school more than a year ago.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the officers were served with gross misconduct notices. The watchdog is also considering whether the…
A Croydon man has been jailed for two years and eight months for stalking in relation to aggravated offences against 121 victims, the Metropolitan Police said. Vishaal Vijapura, 28, of Shirley, Croydon, was sentenced to two years and eight months' imprisonment at Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday (14). He also received a…
His cancer came without notice, and for three months Keyur Patel – known as Kiwi – was planning his own funeral. Now, 10 years on, Kiwi is “grateful” that he can tell his story and live the life he thought would end prematurely. The Met police sergeant remembers vividly the…
There is a gradual build up of members of Parliament from within the UK's ruling Conservative Party who have voiced their concerns over the partygate scandal, calling for party leader Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister. The total number of openly critical MPs has risen to 27 since the…
THE mother of an autistic, mixed-race girl has said that the Metropolitan Police handcuffed her child and had her underwear cut off in the presence of male officers while on her period, according to a report. She added that the 15-year-old was left traumatised by the incident in December 2020…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has said that the Metropolitan Police must “explain” why prime minister Boris Johnson was not fined for attending a party during the Covid lockdown, according to a report. Khan's comments came after Britain's ITV news channel on Monday (23) published new photographs of Johnson drinking at…
A Met Police constable has been dismissed for failing to safeguard a woman who was later killed by her partner.Sandeep Khunkhun, attached to London’s North West Command Unit, was found to have breached the standards of professional behaviour, following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.The Scotland Yard…
OUTSPOKEN counterterrorism chief Neil Basu is believed to be in contention to head the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).The Indian-origin assistant commissioner of the Met Police is likely to be interviewed for the role of director-general of the NCA later this week.The post became vacant after Dame Lynne Owens stepped…
A man was jailed for life on Friday for the brutal murder of a female teacher found dead a short walk from her London home in a killing that fuelled public anger about violence against women in Britain. Sabina Nessa, 28, was attacked and killed after leaving her home in…
Primary school teacher Sabina Nessa's parents told her killer that 'he had no right to touch her' after he refused to face them in court. Koci Selamaj, 36, beat and strangled Nessa, 28, as she walked through a park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, on 17 September. He refused to leave…
A POLICE officer has admitted to offences including voyeurism after he was caught filming a woman when she was trying on clothes in a London shop.Met Police constable Swaleh Chaudhry, 36, attached to the Met Police Taskforce has been suspended from duty following his arrest at South Side Shopping Centre,…
LONDON’S Met police probing the alleged breaches of coronavirus lockdown laws by prime minister Boris Johnson and his staff in Downing Street said Tuesday (29) that 20 initial fines will be issued."We will today initially begin to refer 20 fixed penalty notices to be issued for breaches of Covid-19 regulations,"…
DETECTIVES investigating the death of Yasmin Begum in East London have charged a man with murder.Quyum Miah, 40, of High Street, Homerton, who was arrested on Sunday (27) has also been charged with burglary and two counts of fraud by false representation, Met Police said in a statement on Monday…
A man with no fixed address has been charged with the murder of teenager Sabita Thanwani, the Metropolitan police said. Maher Maaroufe, 22, has been charged with Thanwani’s murder and also assaulting an emergency worker. Thanwani was found dead at student accommodation in London on Saturday (19). She was studying psychology…
FOOTBALL club Arsenal has said it contacted a fan who was allegedly subjected to racial abuse and physical attack during its Premier League match against Liverpool in London last week.A Sikh fan was reportedly attacked and his turban knocked off in the toilets of the Emirates Stadium during the halftime…
THE FAMILY of student Sabita Thanwani have paid tribute after a man was arrested on suspicion of her murder and assault in her student accommodation in London.Thanwani, a 19-year-old British national, was found with serious injuries to her neck at Arbour House student flats in Clerkenwell, London, last Saturday (19).In…
SCOTLAND YARD have arrested a Tunisian national on suspicion of the murder and assault of a British woman of Indian origin in her student accommodation in London.Sabita Thanwani, 19, was found with serious injuries to her neck at Arbour House student flats in the Clerkenwell area of London on Saturday…
A former London police officer, who was jailed for life last year for a rape and murder that horrified the nation, was charged on Friday (18) with four new counts of indecent assault which took place just weeks earlier. Wayne Couzens, 49, whose job was to guard diplomatic premises, abducted…
NEW data has revealed that more than 1,000 police officers accused of domestic abuse are still in service, according to a media report. Eight out of 10 such officers kept their jobs after the allegations, with a small fraction being disciplined or dismissed, the Guardian reported. A series of freedom…
AN Eastbourne man has pleaded guilty to murdering primary school teacher Sabina Nessa at the Old Bailey on Friday (25), according to a media report. Koci Selamaj, 36, beat and strangled Nessa, 28, as she walked through a park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, on 17 September. He will be sentenced…
British war crimes police have arrested a suspect in connection with the 2000 murder of high-profile Sri Lankan journalist Mylvaganam Nimalrajan during the country's brutal civil war, they said on Thursday. Officers from London's Metropolitan Police War Crimes team arrested a 48-year-old man in Northamptonshire, on Tuesday and subsequently released…
THE BROTHER of the 2017 Manchester suicide bomber and an Iraqi asylum seeker behind a botched London Underground train bombing had their sentences extended on Tuesday (22) after being found guilty of assaulting a prison officer.Hashem Abedi, 24, Ahmed Hassan, 22, and fellow convicted terrorist Muhammed Saeed, 23, were all…
On 31 July 2015, former Met police sergeant, Gurpal Virdi, stood on the steps of Southwark Crown Court and breathed in the air. He had just spent the week in the dock charged with a historic case of racially and sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy. The jury took just 50…
There must be a root and branch investigation into the culture of racism, misogyny, and Islamophobia in every police service in England and Wales. That is the demand from south Asian and black MPs, as well as serving and past police officers. They have told Eastern Eye that they do…
A man has been jailed for three years for stealing over £200,000 from his charity employer to fund his online gambling habit, the Metropolitan Police said. Manjinder Virdi, 37, of Rathmore Road was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday (14). According to the Met Police, Virdi joined the Poplar-based…
A senior officer has admitted that racism is a problem in the Metropolitan Police, however, he denied that Met was a "racist organisation". Deputy assistant commissioner Bas Javid, brother of health secretary Sajid Javid, told BBC Two's Newsnight that some officers "have racist views and are racist". His comments came…
THE dramatic resignation of the London Met Police chief has sparked a row between mayor Sadiq Khan and home secretary Priti Patel as Khan did not warn the Home Office or Queen he was going to get rid of the commissioner, according to a media report. The MailOnline reported that…
CRESSIDA DICK announced her resignation last night (10) after a string of scandals rocked London's Metropolitan Police, including racism, sexism and a serving officer murdering a young woman. Dame Cressida, who became the first woman to head the force in 2017, said she had "no choice but to step aside" after London…
CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak has admitted to attending prime minister Boris Johnson's lockdown birthday party in 2020 but refused to say what happened when he entered the room and claimed that he was there for a meeting to discuss the Covid-19 situation. His comments came after Johnson's five aides, including longstanding…
BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel said she was "appalled and sickened" by the behaviour of Metropolitan Police officers, following reports about how officers in London had joked about rape, killing black children and beating their wives. The Met Police said it was "deeply sorry" after the findings were published by…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has put Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick "on notice" after "shocking" behaviour by some officers was found, media reports said. A report by the police watchdog on Tuesday (1) found out that London police sent each other "shocking" racist, sexist and homophobic messages, piling pressure on…
A long-awaited report into claims of lockdown-breaking parties at British prime minister Boris Johnson's offices was published in part on Monday (31), criticising "failures of leadership" that allowed events to go ahead. Political and public anger at the revelations put Johnson's position as leader under threat, but senior civil servant…
AN EXILED political blogger has accused Pakistan of being behind a plot to kill him after a would-be hitman was convicted in a British court.Supermarket worker Muhammed Gohir Khan, 31, was found guilty of plotting to kill Ahmad Waqass Goraya after being recruited by middlemen apparently based in Pakistan.The judge…
A FINANCIAL consultant of Indian origin has demanded “unlimited damages” from Conservative peer Michelle Mone following a “racist remark” she allegedly made more than two years ago.Richard Lynton-Jones sued her with a 10-page writ, claiming her remarks caused “enormous distress, embarrassment and injury to his feelings.”His lawyers sought at least…
GRIEF-STRICKEN MPs branded Boris Johnson a "liar" as the prime minister on Tuesday (11) gave a Commons grilling over No10 parties a miss. Instead he sent Paymaster General Michael Ellis to answer an important question on an email inviting staff to a "BYOB" lockdown party. Labour's Angela Rayner said the…
A SIKH teenager was saved by a supermarket van driver after he was violently attacked by three miscreants on Windmill Road in Ealing, West London, on Tuesday (4) evening. The 18-year-old suffered an injury to his face and fell bloodied onto the road when the driver stepped in. His brother…
WHILE London police are investigating the Christmas Day security breach at Windsor Castle, the alleged intruder’s family in Southampton said it is going through a difficult phase following the incident. “Something’s gone horribly wrong with our son,” Jasbir reportedly said of Jaswant Chail who was arrested on Saturday (25) from…
A Metropolitan Police officer has been dismissed without notice after gross misconduct was proven at a disciplinary hearing, a statement from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said. PC Harry Chandler, based at a North East Borough Command police station, was sacked following an investigation by IOPC. Chandler…
THE SCOTLAND YARD on Sunday (28) issued a public appeal for information related to the murder of a British Sikh teenager, stabbed to death in a fight involving a group of people on a west London street. The Metropolitan Police officially named the victim as Rishmeet Singh, earlier named locally…
A Sikh police officer who shielded to protect his family during lockdown has died following a month-long battle with Covid in hospital, The Daily Mail reported. Met Police officer Amar Kalirai, 30, passed away on October 21 and showed 'no fear' during his five-year service, his colleagues revealed. He had spent his…
A serving Metropolitan police officer has been charged with rape, which allegedly took place last week at a hotel in London, reported The Guardian. Adam Zaman, 28, is accused of raping a woman on Sunday (24) evening while he was off duty, and was arrested the following day, the Met…
A FORMER Scotland Yard officer has been handed an 11-month suspended prison sentence for harassing a number of colleagues, the Metropolitan Police said on Thursday (14). Ajay Singh, 24, was attached to the North Area Basic Command Unit of the Metropolitan Police in London and was sentenced at Woolwich Crown…
BRITISH police said on Sunday (26) they had arrested a man on suspicion of the murder of a female teacher found dead in a London park last week. Sabina Nessa, 28, left her home in south London on the evening of Sept. 17 to make the short walk through a…
THE Metropolitan Police named the primary school teacher who was found dead near a community centre in south-east London on Saturday (18). Sabina Nessa, 28, was found dead near the OneSpace community centre in Cator Park, Kidbrooke. A man, in his 40s, arrested on suspicion of murder has been released…
A MAN extradited from Pakistan has been remanded in custody in connection with the murder of his wife. Zafar Iqbal, whose wife Naziat Khan was strangled to death in south London 20 years ago, virtually appeared before Croydon Magistrates Court from Heathrow police station on Wednesday (15). Iqbal, now 61,…
A security guard who posed as a businessman to con a lonely woman in a romance scam has been jailed for three years. Qaiser Saeed, 40, of Botwell Lane, Hayes, was sentenced on Tuesday (7) at Isleworth Crown Court for fraud by false representation, the Met Police said. In May…
Revealed: 10 south Asians stopped and searched every hour during pandemic Police in England and Wales stopped and searched almost 10 south Asians every hour during lockdown. Eastern Eye has found that during April 2020 and March 2021 they detained almost 86,000 south Asians. This is a rise of more…
Based on a complaint from Prevention of Ethical Treatment of Animals, a case has been registered against celebrated filmmaker Mani Ratman’s production house Madras Talkies stating that a horse died during the shoot of his forthcoming film Ponniyin Selvan at a private land near a film studio on August 11.…
POLICE have named the victim of a 'horrific' homophobic murder at Tower Hamlets as Ranjith Kankanamalage, 50, as detectives appeal for help to catch his killer, the Daily Mail reported. He was found dead with head injuries in Tower Hamlets Cemetery on August 16. Kankanamalage, also known as ‘Roy’, had…
THE Met Police are appealing for help to identify a man following a number of unprovoked assaults in Hackney. Last week, Police received a third party report of an assault that occurred on Stamford Hill at the junction with Colberg Road. The victim was knocked unconscious during the incident and…
A FEMALE police officer, hailed as a hero for tackling anti-lockdown protesters last year, is under investigation for allegedly posting a series of racist tweets. Ruby Begum mocked the 9/11 terror attacks and called for a retribution for Israel during its conflict with Palestine in 2014. “Must be stupid if you…
HUNDREDS of vulnerable children - aged two to 19 - suffered sexual abuse, rape, violence and intimidation in children’s homes run by London’s Lambeth council over several decades from the late 1960s, according to a report on Tuesday (27). The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) condemned the south…
MAYOR of London Sadiq Khan on Tuesday (20) has launched a multi-million package of measures aimed at engaging young Londoners in various activities this summer, especially for the wards at higher risk of violence and with higher levels of poverty and deprivation. Set up by Khan, England’s one-of-its-kind Violence…
A MAN accused of plotting to kill an exiled Pakistani political blogger appeared in a British court on Monday (19), in a case linked to concerns about human rights in the south Asian country. Muhammad Gohir Khan, 31, was charged last month with conspiracy to murder Ahmad Waqass Goraya, one…
AN Asian man was repeatedly kicked in the head by fellow white England fans as chaos ensued inside Wembley Stadium on Sunday (11). Videos circulating on social media show a furious brawl that erupted between a set of fans- just minutes before the Three Lions took the field against…
LABOUR MP Kim Johnson has accused the Metropolitan police of institutional racism after she and her family were stopped by officers in central London last month, reported The Guardian. The MP said they had arrived in Covent Garden near the end of the England v Scotland Euro 2020 match when…
A man found guilty of raping a woman after they met on a dating site has been sentenced to nine year imprisonment. Chinmay Patel, 34, from Leeds, was jailed at a Southwark Crown Court hearing in London after he was convicted of two counts of rape at the same court…
A black police officer with the Metropolitan police, who was dismissed last year, has won her job back after a tribunal said her sacking was unfair. Supt Robyn Williams was dismissed in March 2020 after being convicted for possessing a child abuse video that she recieved unsolicited via WhatsApp and…
THE former highest-ranking Asian female police in the Metropolitan Police has claimed the force is still institutionally racist, recalling her experiences of discrimination as recently as 2019. Chief superintendent Parm Sandhu was the most senior BAME woman in the capital’s police force, prior to her retirement two years ago. She…
INSTITUTIONAL racism in Metropolitan police is “worse now” than what it was 20 years ago, Parm Sandhu, one of the UK’s former most senior female Asian police officers has claimed, adding that the Met is “not a safe environment for black and Asian officers". “Institutional racism exists in…
HOME SECRETARY Priti Patel has firmly rejected Metropolitan Police chief Dame Cressida Dick's call for "positive discrimination" to be introduced during the recruitment process to hire more people from ethnic minorities. The Met chief proposed applying a form of positive discrimination to increase BAME recruits saying police forces must reflect…
“Unedifying” row over despatch box “puts back equality, diversity and inclusion” by Barnie Choudhury Britain top south Asian police officer has told a global audience that institutional racism does exist in Britain – contrary to the government’s latest report on racism. The Met’s assistant commissioner, Neil Basu, was speaking during…
SIX people, including a former Metropolitan Police officer, were jailed for more than 64 years on Thursday (13) by a UK court for intercepting rival drug gang couriers to seize hundreds of thousands of pounds. The Southwark Crown Court pronounced the sentence after they admitting a range of offences following an…
By Barnie Choudhury THE UK government must stop “weaponising race” and using it as a political tool to further its political agenda, a panel of experts has told Eastern Eye. The experts, who were taking part in a virtual debate, unanimously concluded that Britain today was more divided about race…
By Nadeem Badshah FAR-RIGHT groups accused of spewing racial hatred are using computer games to try and radicalise teenagers during lockdown, experts have warned. Researchers have found that UK white nationalist groups are targeting younger recruits and run Call of Duty Warcraft gaming tournaments for its supporters. Hope Not…
After last year’s exposé, we challenge the judiciary to prove it is not institutionally racist By Barnie Choudhury The judiciary is 20 years behind the Met Police in accepting it is institutionally racist. That is the damning accusation from named and anonymous south Asian, black and white judges. In a…
THREE brothers and another man have been convicted of stabbing a man to death after chasing him with knives following an ongoing dispute. Brothers Kamal, 23, Sukhminder, 25 , and Michael, 28, Sohal stabbed Osvaldo de Carvalho, 22, to death in West Lodge Avenue on 24 September 2019, the Metropolitan…
Scotland Yard on Monday (8) issued a new appeal for information in connection with the killing of an Indian-origin man in west London in 2017 to mark the four-year anniversary of his death. Satnam Singh, 45, was killed four years ago and a reward of £10,000 remains on offer for…
Exclusive By Barnie Choudhury Parliamentarians and religious leaders are urging south Asian families to work with the police to tackle the blight of drugs which they say are “decimating our communities”. Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, a senior imam at the Muslim Council of Britain, told Eastern Eye, there had been a…
A MAN from east London has been convicted of terrorism offences following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command. Mohammed Chowdhury, 24, of Bethnal Green was found guilty on Wednesday(10) of attempting to possess an explosive with intent to endanger life or property. He was also convicted of…
Exclusive By Barnie Choudhury A senior police chief has warned south Asian drug gangsters “we will get you”. Eastern Eye can exclusively reveal that 1,710 Asians are currently in jail for drug related crimes – an overrepresentation of three times their number in the nation’s population. In an exclusive interview,…
A man has been stabbed to death in south London in a spate of violence that has left 10 injured late on Friday(5), police have said. Metropolitan police officers responded to five reports of stabbings in Croydon within less than three hours. Paramedics fought to save the man’s life but…
THE Metropolitan Police on Monday(1) remembers PC Karpal Kaur Sandhu, the first female Asian and Sikh police officer in the UK, as today marks the 50th anniversary of her joining the force and serving from 1971 to 1973. The Met Police conducts a virtual event on Monday to remember Sandhu's…
THE Metropolitan Police on Thursday(21) named Vimla Matai, 61, as the victim of a fatal collision in Harrow. Police also appealed for witnesses and anyone with dash-cam footage to come forward. The Met police informed that next of kin have been notified following the identification. According to a statement, Police…
THE Metropolitan Police on Monday(18) launched a pilot project to record ethnicity data for vehicle stops by roads policing officers. It will help to better understand proportionality relating to ethnicity, and it was first announced as part of the Mayor’s action plan published in November 2020, a statement said. Roads…
THE Metropolitan Police has said that 52 per cent of the new recruits for the direct entry detective scheme in 2020 were females. Besides, 30 per cent of the applications received in November 2020 under the scheme, which started in 2017, were from black, Asian and minority ethnic(BAME) candidates. The…
A MAN who encouraged terrorist attacks on the Bangladeshi government in online posts has been convicted in the UK on Wednesday(13). Munna Hamza, 50, was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of encouraging acts of terrorism in three online posts between 2015 and 2018 after he was reported for encouraging…
by LAUREN CODLING A POLICE force in England received more than 75 calls a day on average relating to domestic abuse over the past eight months. The data emerged as charities cautioned they were at “breaking point” owing to the huge increase in abuse incidents during the pandemic. Police forces…
THE specialist crime command (homicide) of Metropolitan Police has named the mother and her two-year-old daughter who were found dead in west London on Monday(14). They were identified as Shiwangi Bagoan, 25, and Ziana Bagoan. They were pronounced dead at the scene in Old Meadow Lane, Hounslow, after police and…
Ilford shopkeeper who killed his two children during lockdown has been detained in hospital indefinitely. Nadarajah Nithiyakumar, 41, of Aldborough Parade, Ilford was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday(10) for killing his children Pavinya(19 months) and Nigish (3) in April this year. He admitted manslaughter by reason of diminished…
SON was charged with the murder of 'kind' Ealing Hospital worker in west London. Hansa Patel, 62, was found suffering from head injuries at the home she shared with her husband and son Shanil Patel, 31, in Drew Gardens, Greenford. Patel was pronounced dead at the scene on Wednesday(25). The…
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced to set aside millions of pounds to establish a “world-leading” Counter Terrorism Operations Centre (CTOC) based in London. As part of a Spending Review for the next year’s budgetary plans tabled in Parliament on Wednesday (25), the Sunak said he would allocate an additional…
A jeweller who sold jewellery made of poached elephant hair has avoided jail with a suspended sentence. Rajtharan Mahalingam, 40, of Down Lane, Isle of Wight was found guilty at Harrow Crown Court on Tuesday(24) of seven counts of purchasing or offering to purchase, sell, keep for sale or commercially…
THE licenses of the Milan Palace and Tudor Rose in Southall were suspended for three months following frequent breaches of the Covid regulations, the Met police has said. Besides, the Tudor Rose was given a £1,000 fine for one breach and the Milan Palace should pay £7,000 as fine for…
BRITAIN’s biggest police force must hire 40 per cent of new recruits from ethnic minority backgrounds, while officers will have to justify stop and search to community panels as part of a major race action plan unveiled on Friday(13). The plan will set the Met a target for new recruits,…
AN Indian-origin man was found guilty of manslaughter following a fatal stabbing in Southall in August last year. Gurjeet Singh Lall, 36, St Mary’s Avenue South, Southall attacked Allan Isichei, 69, after a brief verbal row over Lall’s spitting in the street. Isichei was pronounced dead later. [caption id="attachment_118936" align="aligncenter"…
An Islamic State (Daesh) supporter, who promoted the global terror group on social media including through a video that called for an attack in central London, has been convicted of terrorism-related offences following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command. Shehroz Iqbal, 29, from east London, was found…
by PROF AISHA K. GILL, Professor of Criminology at the University of Roehampton THE true-crime drama Honour drew fresh public scrutiny to the murder of 20-year-old Banaz Mahmod in 2006 – an entirely preventable one. The mistakes that contributed to Banaz’s death typify the ways in which the police fail…
THE owner of an event venue in west London likely may attract £10,000 fine after a wedding reception took place at the venue which was attended by more than 100 people. Officers from the Metropolitan Police were called to the Tudor Rose in Southall in the evening last week. After…
INVESTIGATION continues into the ‘murder-suicide’ of three-year-old Kailash and his parents Poorna Kaameshwari Sivaraj,36, and Kailash Kuha Raj Sithamparanathan(42) at the family’s flat in Brentford, west London, on Tuesday(6) morning. The bodies of Poorna and Kailash were discovered by the Met police. Sithamparanathan was also pronounced dead at the scene.…
By S Neeraj Krishna YOUNG men from black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities were facing a "disproportionate impact" of "unclear and ambiguous" Covid regulations being enforced in the UK, a parliamentary committee has observed. Reports on Monday (21) said the Joint Committee on Human Rights said it was "unacceptable" that…
A SET of three idols of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman, stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu decades ago, were returned to the Indian government on Tuesday (15), after a collector voluntarily offered to hand them back on discovering their true history. The theft dated back to 1978, and…
A VIRAL footage of Sadiq Khan being heckled with “mindless Neanderthal abuse” has sparked widespread outrage across the UK. The video was shot as the mayor of London faced an aggressive mob while heading to City Hall amid a protest by black-cab drivers last week. Reports said a crowd gathered…
A "HEARTLESS" East London man who killed two women and hid their bodies in a freezer at his home has been jailed for a minimum of 38 years. Zahid Younis, 36, of Canning Town, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday (3) of of murdering Mihrican ‘Jan’ Mustafa, 38,…
DETECTIVES have launched an "intense investigation" into the abduction of three children from a foster home in south London, and have issued an urgent public appeal for information. Bilal Safi, Mohammed Ebrar Safi, and Mohammed Yaseen Safi - aged six, five and three - were taken forcibly away allegedly by…
LABOUR MP Dawn Butler has accused the Met Police of racial profiling, after she and a male friend were pulled over while driving through Hackney in a "nice car" on Sunday (9). The former shadow equalities minister said there was "institutional racism in the police", adding that it was "about…
A 35-year-old man, who was extradited from India last year, has been found guilty of "a string of rapes that culminated in murder" in the UK more than a decade ago. Aman Vyas was convicted of the rape and murder of Michelle Samaraweera and the rape of three other women,…
A STRIKING ninth-century statue of Lord Shiva, which was stolen from a temple in Rajasthan and smuggled to the UK, will be returned to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday (30). The 4ft-tall stone Nataraj idol, in “chatura pose with jatamakuta and trinetra”, is a rare depiction of…
THE Metropolitan Police has suspended an officer after video emerged showing a man in north London being detained using techniques "not taught in police training". Footage posted on social media showed the man being held on the ground shouting: "Get off me... I haven’t done anything … get off my…
by LAUREN CODLING MEMBERS of the public have been urged to take part in a charity run designed to raise funds for emergency service personnel whose mental health has been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. According to the Blue Light Symphony Orchestra (BLSO) charity, the mental wellbeing of some workers…
FOUR men reportedly linked to extremist Islamist ideology were arrested on Thursday in London and central England on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Armed officers arrested three men aged 17, 27 and 31 at two addresses in east London, while unarmed colleagues detained a 32-year-old man in the county of…
BRITAIN's police watchdog has announced a review into whether the forces discriminate against ethnic minorities. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Friday (10) that the probe, to begin in the coming months, will initially look into the use of stop and search powers and the use of…
A serving Metropolitan Police officer is accused of joining a conspiracy to steal cash being handed between crime gangs. Kashif Mahmood, 31, from Harlow, Essex appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (8) along with four others. He is charged with conspiracy to acquire criminal property, contrary to the Criminal…
NEIL BASU has urged people to take up a 45-minute online course to be in a "stronger position" in the fight against the "scourge of terrorism". The counter-terror policing chief’s call to the public came as Home Secretary Priti Patel warned that the "threat by lone actors is growing", while…
PRITI PATEL has condemned the “unacceptable thuggery” after some far-right protesters clashed with police in central London, as thousands defied appeals to avoid large gatherings on Saturday (13). Scenes from central London showed violent scuffles near the boarded-up statue of former prime minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square as right-wing…
SADIQ KHAN has called for an investigation after British rapper Wretch 32 posted a video of police using a taser stun gun against his father, after days of anti-racism protests. The footage from a police body camera shows 62-year-old Millard Scott falling down the stairs after being tasered during a…
NEIL BASU has said this is “a time to stand up to racists, to inequality and injustice” in a “personal message” to his policing colleagues in the UK. “The death of George Floyd horrified us all, and rightly so,” said the assistant commissioner of the Met Police. “All the good…
SCOTLAND YARD has revealed that a disproportionately high number of people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds were being fined or arrested for lockdown breaches, prompting allegations of racial bias. Data released on Wednesday (3) showed that the Metropolitan Police said it had issued 973 fines, or fixed penalty…
by LAUREN CODLING A LEADING equalities campaigner has said that the coronavirus crisis is an opportunity to “build an environment of equality of opportunity and justice for everyone”. Lord Simon Woolley, founder of Operation Black Vote (OBV), made the comments on the eve of the publication of the Public Health…
THE Met Police has been accused of racial profiling as public outrage grew over a video that showed a policewoman handcuffing a black off-duty ambulance in Lewisham. The now viral video, which was recorded on May 21, showed the officer questioning and detaining the man even as he agreed to…
Two men have been jailed in the UK for a total of 12 years and nine months for their involvement in a global money laundering operation involving £2.4 million and an attempt to launder a further £1.6 million. Vijaya Kumar Krishnasamy, 32, and Chandrasekar Nallayan, 44, were sentenced on Friday…
TWO British-Indian men have been sentenced to a total of 34 years in "one of the Met’s biggest drugs busts" worth over £20 million. Shakti Gupta, 34, from Birmingham, and Baldev Singh Sahota, 54, from Oldbury in West Midlands, were jailed for 18 years and 16 years, respectively, following a…
A TOP British-Indian woman police officer has struck a confidential settlement with the Met Police, after initiating legal action against Scotland Yard over allegations of racial and gender discrimination. Parm Sandhu, a chief superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, had claimed that she was denied promotions and opportunities at work due…
Scotland Yard detectives have launched an appeal for witnesses after a man was found dead following an assault in an alleyway in west London. Baljit Singh, 37, who lived in the Hayes area of London, was pronounced dead at the scene after the Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service were…
A Sri Lankan man with critical knife wounds has been placed under police guard at a hospital on suspicion of stabbing his one-year-old girl and three-year-old boy to death in East London. Nithin Kumar, 40, allegedly “exploded” and stabbed the children at a flat in Aldborough Road North in Ilford…
A 23-year-old man in the UK has been sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment for lying about having Covid-19 and spitting at a police custody officer, in the first such case heard in a British court. Karan Singh, from Croydon in south London, pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to three…
An influential parliamentary committee of British lawmakers on Monday (27) called for urgent action from the government over a surge in domestic abuse cases amid the coronavirus lockdown, with London alone registering 4,093 arrests in the six weeks up to April 19. The House of Commons’ Home Affairs Committee found…
A 19-year-old Indian man has been jailed for firearms offences, after a Scotland Yard unit seized a set of guns from his home in London. Hrithik Sakaria from Stanmore in north London was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment at Harrow Crown Court after he had pleaded guilty to two counts…
The UK’s counter-terrorism chief, Neil Basu, has made a plea for compassion as police officers adjusted to “new responsibilities” of dealing with the lockdown, adding that “how we police this pandemic will be remembered for many years to come”. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner struck a…
Scotland Yard has appealed to the retired officers to consider returning to the force and those nearing retirement to postpone those plans to help cope with the massive workload due to the coronavirus pandemic. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick is writing to all former Met officers, who retired within the…
DETECTIVES investigating a 40-year-old woman’s murder in East Ham have renewed pleas for help to identify the suspect. The CCTV footage accessed by the police showed the man in Altmore Avenue near Barking Road, where Shadika Mohsin Patel was stabbed multiple times on March 19. Police and the London Ambulance…
SCOTLAND YARD has warned the public to be vigilant against scamsters eyeing to exploit people’s vulnerabilities amid the coronavirus chaos. The Metropolitan Police said the majority of the incidents reported related to online shopping scams, where members of the public ordered and paid for personal protective equipment which never arrived.…
Scotland Yard detectives on Friday (20) arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of murdering an Indian woman in east London. Shadika Mohsin Patel had been found stabbed on Thursday in Newham. “Officers attended along with the London Ambulance Service and found 40-year-old Shadika with serious injuries. She was taken to…
THE Isleworth Crown Court in London has sentenced an Indian man to three and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a young girl. Nikunjkumar Vaidh, 36, from Prince Regent Road, Hounslow, was on Monday (16) found guilty of two counts of molesting a child under 13 years, after…
SCOTLAND YARD has launched a murder investigation into the death of a British Indian, who had been brutally assaulted by eight people in west London 17 years ago. Rajesh Verma, 42, who died in May 2018, had suffered severe brain damage in the attack at Acton Park in August 2003.…
Scotland Yard issued a new appeal in London on Friday (6) for information in connection with the murder of a man in west London in 2017. Satnam Singh, aged 45, was killed three years ago and a reward of £10,000 remains on offer for any information that leads to the…
HOMICIDE detectives have launched an investigation after finding a 16-year-old boy battered to death near a Gallions Reach DLR station in East London. The body of Shanur Ahmed, who reportedly died of head injuries, was discovered in a scrubland on Tuesday (3). The boy had been reported missing by his…
SADIQ KHAN wants Londoners to have the choice of availing “associate citizenship” of the European Union. The Mayor, who had written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the idea, was in Brussels today (18) to discuss with European leaders on retaining London-EU links. Associate citizenship would allow Britons to retain…
SCOTLAND YARD officers are preparing to hand over alleged bookie Sanjeev Chawla to their counterparts in Delhi Police by Thursday (13) to face match-fixing charges in Indian courts. The 50-year-old British national is a key accused in the match-fixing scandal involving former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje in 2000. According to officials…
Scotland Yard on Friday (24)formally identified the three men killed in a stabbing incident in east London last week as Indian nationals who were living in the area. Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command said the men killed were 29-year-old Narinder Singh Lubhaya, 30-year-old Harinder Kumar and 37-year-old…
A man was sentenced to six years in prison and placed on the sex offenders' register for life by a London court on Thursday for online child sex offences. Valmiki Rampersad had pleaded guilty to 26 offences including four counts of causing/inciting a girl, aged 13 to 15, to engage…
A 29-YEAR-OLD Asian-origin man has been charged by Scotland Yard in connection with the killing of three compatriots originally from India’s Punjab in a street fight in east London over the weekend. Gurjeet Singh was charged on Tuesday (21) evening with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place to appear before Redbridge…
A police constable in the UK has been sentenced to three years'' imprisonment for falsely accusing a man of sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl. Hitesh Lakhani, a Metropolitan Police officer, accused a street cleaner employed by the local authority in west London of the child sex assault after an argument…
Two men on Thursday (9) pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to supply illegal drugs after specialist officers of Scotland Yard made one of the largest seizures of cocaine in the UK, worth more than £20 million, involving the duo. Baldev Singh Sahota, 53, and Shakti Gupta, 34, appeared…
THE sister of a junior doctor who lost her life after being struck by a car on a zebra crossing has on Monday (6) urged drivers to clear frost from their car windscreens. Jasjot Singhota, 30, suffered serious internal bleeding with head injuries when she was thrown into the air by the…
A 53-YEAR-OLD Indian-origin man has been jailed for 20 years by a UK court for leaving his neighbour in east London with "catastrophic injuries" after throwing acid over him during an argument. Santokh Johal must serve a minimum of 15 years behind bars with the remainder on licence or parole,…
THE man who stabbed and killed two people in the London Bridge terrorist attack on Friday (29) has been identified as a convicted terrorist who was jailed seven years ago over a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange and build a terrorist training camp on land owned by his…
TEN Indian-origin suspected members of an organised crime group believed to have flown an estimated £15.5 million out of the UK to Dubai in suitcases have been charged by the British authorities. The nine men and one woman, aged between 30 and 44, were arrested on Wednesday (20), as part…
by LAUREN CODLING AND RITHIKA SIDDHARTHA LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan urged demonstrators to act respectfully over the Diwali weekend, ahead of planned anti-India protests due to take place in the city over the weekend. Hindus, Sikhs and Jains all over the world will celebrate the annual festival of lights on…
Police have imposed conditions upon anti-India marches and rallies in London on the Kashmir issue on Diwali this Sunday (27). According to Met Police, an estimated 5,000-10,000 protesters plan to commence their march from Richmond Terrace near Downing Street and converge outside the Indian High Commission in London. DAC Matt…
Mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned plans to hold an anti-India march in London on the Kashmir issue on Diwali next Sunday (27), saying it would deepen divisions in the UK capital and called on the organisers and prospective participants to cancel the protest rally. According to Met Police an estimated…
An Indian man accused of rape and murder in the UK ten years ago has been charged with the crimes as he landed in London after being extradited from India, Scotland Yard said. Aman Vyas, 35, landed at Heathrow Airport on Friday (4) night and will appear before Uxbridge Magistrates'…
by Barry Gardiner Over the past few weeks many people have contacted me about the situation in Kashmir and the events that have taken place since the Indian Parliament revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. Let me start by saying that I would not expect any Indian politician to…
Lord Jitesh Gadhia and former Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), General David Petraeus, have called on India and Pakistan to look beyond Kashmir to focus on internal challenges and resume their bilateral economic ties. Lord Gadhia and General Petraeus have written a joint column for The Daily…
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has reignited his war of words with Sadiq Khan, blaming the London mayor for the hacking of the Metropolitan Police's Twitter account. On Friday night (19), hackers broke into the Twitter account of London's Metropolitan Police and tweeted a series of strange messages. While some messages…
ONE of Britain's most senior female Asian police officers has accused the Metropolitan Police of discrimination and has begun legal action. Parm Sandhu, who is of Indian heritage, claims she was denied promotion because of her race and gender, and the first hearing in her case is due to take…
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan has been called "incompetent" for his failure to tackle knife crime in the city. Broadcaster Nick Ferrari on Monday (1) has called for Khan to be removed as the mayor of London following four violent deaths in the city over the weekend, including that of a…
The UK's chief of counter-terror policing, Neil Basu, praised his Scotland Yard team for having foiled 19 "murderous plots" since March 2017 in the wake on an inquest into the deaths of eight people killed in the London Bridge terror attack in June 2017. The Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner, in…
An extensive criminal gang led by Indian-origin gangster Baljinder Kang and his right-hand man, also from India, has been dismantled by UK authorities as the duo were convicted of drug smuggling and money laundering amounting to millions of pounds. While Kang had pleaded guilty to all the charges against him…
An Indian-origin man in the UK was on Tuesday (14) jailed for life along with his British accomplice for killing a 22-year-old man who was shot at "point blank range" while travelling in a car as part of a drug-dealing feud last year. Juskiran Sidhu, 28, and Philip Babatunde Fashakin,…
by Nadeem Badshah A COMMUNITY leader has criticised the police for meeting faith representatives without much influence and also slammed some Sikh groups for failing to attend key meetings with authorities. Harmander Singh is chairman of the National Sikh Security Forum and the Metropolitan Police Sikh Forum. He was among…
A Bangladeshi man wanted in the UK on charges of murdering his wife and two daughters has appeared before a court in London after being extradited from India over the weekend. Mohammed Abdul Shakur's case marks the first of its kind successful extradition from India to the UK. According to…
British Asian homes are at the centre of more than £140 million worth of gold jewellery stolen in the UK over the past five years, a freedom of information request revealed on Saturday (23). So-called "Asian gold", bought as wedding gifts and known to be stored in homes of South…
POLICE in Britain were providing "reassurance patrols" around mosques following the deadly gun rampage in New Zealand earlier today (15). London mayor Sadiq Khan and Britain's top counter-terror officer said the police presence would be stepped up as people went to Friday prayers. "I want to reassure the Muslim…
BRITISH counter-terrorist police said they had launched an investigation into who sent three small bombs to two London airports and a major rail station today (5). The three devices, sent to Heathrow and London City airports and Waterloo train station earlier in the day, "appear capable of igniting an initially…
by SUNDER KATWALA Director, British Future I THOUGHT about Stephen Lawrence most days when the Macpherson report came out 20 years ago. It sparked our most prominent national debate about race and injustice to date. And I had recently moved to Eltham, so I was living on Well Hall Road,…
by NADEEM BADSHAH A FORMER Metropolitan Police sergeant says evidence shows Britain’s biggest force is still “institutionally racist” and needs to improve its record on retaining ethnic minority staff. With the Met Police marking 20 years since the publication of the landmark Macpherson Inquiry into racism within its ranks, Gurpal…
by LAUREN CODLING RACISM still needs to be tackled in the police force, a former officer has said, as his memoirs detailing his experiences of facing discrimination in the service are published. Michael Fuller was a police officer for more than 35 years, becoming Britain’s first-ever black chief constable. However,…
An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to two-and-a-half-years in jail for his part in an illegal drug trafficking network in the UK. Bhavin Patel, 27, was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court in London on Thursday along with an accomplice, 25-year-old Lawrence Amoah, who was jailed for five years and seven…
A man has been found guilty of a £60,000 conspiracy to supply illegal drugs after a trial in the UK this week. Baljit Gill was convicted of two charges of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, one charge of conspiracy to supply class B drugs and one charge of conspiracy…
Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism chief, assistant commissioner Neil Basu, has warned that the "febrile" atmosphere around Brexit could be enhancing the risk posed by far-right terrorism in the UK. The UK is due to leave the 28-member European Union (EU) on March 29. However, the government of prime minister Theresa May…
An Indian-origin woman who admitted to lying to her family and friends about suffering from terminal brain cancer to con them out of over 250,000 pounds was sentenced to four years of imprisonment by a UK court on Friday (14). In 2013, Jasmin Mistry told her then husband, Vijay Katechia,…
by LAUREN CODLING ASIAN police officers have urged ethnic minority communities to consider a position in the service, as it was revealed last week that the institution is lagging “decades behind” on diversity. A poll commissioned by The Guardian found that the proportion of the population of England and Wales…
by Nadeem Badshah ASIAN drug dealers are increasingly selling to middle-class users, running home delivery services where they give out business cards and use chip and pin payment, according to experts. Community leaders have warned that the criminals are luring more wealthier clients behind closed doors, rather than on the…
Britain is in the midst of a knife crime epidemic. The total number of offences involving a knife or bladed instrument that have been recorded by police in the year to March 2018 rose to 40,147, a seven-year-high. London has become a city ravaged by bloodshed as a result of…
A pregnant Indian-origin woman has been killed after an arrow pierced through her abdomen in a crossbow attack in London. Devi Unmathallegadoo's unborn bay survived after an emergency Caesarean section. The baby is fighting for his life in hospital following the attack on Monday evening in Ilford, east London. On…
An Indian-origin man who waged a long campaign of harassment and intimidation against a woman in London has been sentenced to six years. Sirtaj Bhangal, 35, was jailed at Isleworth Crown Court in London on Friday (26) after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to possession of an imitation firearm…
Two men convicted of the fatal stabbing of an Indian-origin man earlier this year have been sentenced to a total of 40 years in jail by a London court. Balbir Johal, 48, was attacked in the Southall suburb of west London in March and rushed to hospital with stab wounds…
by LAUREN CODLING ASIAN families have been warned to take extra precautions during the festive season of Navratri and Diwali as the risk of their valuables being targeted by burglars increases, the Metropolitan Police cautioned last week. Last year there were more than 1,800 burglaries recorded which involved Asian victims,…
A long summer of violent crimes has resulted in London Mayor Sadiq Khan's popularity plunging to its lowest yet. Khan’s ratings have slipped from +22 in May this year down to +4 on Monday (10), according to the YouGov study commissioned by Queen Mary University of London. “Sadiq Khan has…
BRITISH police on Wednesday (15) obtained more time to question a man arrested outside the Houses of Parliament for attempted murder and suspected terrorism after a car ploughed into cyclists before crashing into protective barriers. Three people were injured when the 29-year-old, named by media as Salih Khater, careered over…
A 12th century bronze Buddha statue stolen from an Indian museum 57 years ago, which resurfaced in London, has now been returned to the country, police said on Wednesday (15). The statue with silver inlay was one of 14 stolen from the Archaeological Survey of India site museum in Nalanda in the…
A MAN stabbed to death in south London last Sunday (20) has been named by police. Arunesh Thangarajah, 28, was found with fatal stab wounds between Upper Green East and Montrose Gardens in Mitcham in the early hours of Sunday. Despite the efforts by paramedics and police, he later died…
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is yet to meet any of the bereaved families in the London killings, resulting in him being criticised for his slow response. Khan said he was "angered and heartbroken" by the spiraling number of deaths and added that criminals who use knives "will feel the full force of…
A SENIOR Metropolitan Police officer of Indian origin has been promoted to be the UK’s counter-terrorism chief. Neil Basu, 49, currently a deputy assistant commissioner at the Met Police, will be the new assistant commissioner for specialist operations, according to a statement on Monday (5). He is the first officer…
A shopkeeper was killed after he was punched for refusing to serve cigarette paper to under-age UK teenagers at his shop in north London. Vijay Patel, 49, was attacked in Mill Hill area of the city on Saturday (6) night and rushed to hospital, where he died of head injuries…
A parliamentary investigation into allegations surrounding the private life of Britain's longest-serving British Asian MP Keith Vaz has been "suspended for medical reasons", a report said. The 61-year-old Labour party MP was hit by newspaper allegations last year that he had paid male escorts. The Goan-origin politician had issued a…
A 47-year-old family doctor on Thursday (31) appeared before court charged with 118 sexual offences, including sexually assaulting a girl aged under 13. Manish Shah, from Romford area of London, had been charged with 65 counts of assault by penetration and 52 allegations of sexual assault by Scotland Yard earlier…
A gang of thieves smashed their way into the UK branch of an Indian jewellery shop in a "meticulously planned and audacious raid" and stole £1.8 million worth of gold, diamond and other jewels, police said today. Scotland Yard today released CCTV footage and images of the raid at Joyalukkas…
A 47-year-old doctor in east London was today charged with 118 sex offences, including one assault on a child under 13, by the Scotland Yard. Dr Manish Shah, from Brunel Close in Romford, is accused of 65 counts of assault by penetration and 52 allegations of sexual assault, the Metropolitan…
A man was arrested today near the gates of the UK Parliament for possession of a knife and tasered by Scotland Yard officers, an incident that comes nearly three months after an Islamist carried out a terror attack in the high-security area. The Metropolitan police said the man -- in…
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane flying to Heathrow Airport was thoroughly searched and its 14 member crew detained by British authorities after landing in London over information that there were narcotics on board the flight. The incident happened on Monday (15) when PK 785 from Islamabad to London arrived…
The UK's police watchdog has began an investigation into allegations that Scotland Yard used hackers in India to illegally spy on the email accounts of British journalists, environmental campaigners and activists. The UK's Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) appealed to a whistleblower, believed to be a serving or retired Metropolitan Police officer…
An Indian-born police officer who raised concerns about a "racist" toy monkey at work was accused of gross misconduct, according to the BBC. The officer reported seeing the black toy animal wearing an policeman's shirt at Belgravia police station in central London. However the detective was investigated for making the…
CHIEF superintendent Victor olisa will be the Metropolitan Police’s strategic lead for diversity and inclusion, replacing denise Milani, the Met’s senior expert on diversity and inclusion. Milani will take on a new role as director of business change. olisa, the borough commander at Haringey for three years, said: “We’ve come…
A man has been arrested by Scotland Yard on suspicion of brutally murdering a one-year-old boy and critically injuring the toddler's twin sister, believed to be his children, in north east London. Bidhya Sagar Das, 33, had been on the run after the toddlers were attacked on Saturday, in what police are describing as a suspected…
The lack of female role models from diverse communities within the Met police is hindering efforts to recruit Asian and black officers, Scotland Yard’s deputy commissioner has claimed. Over the past year, the proportion of minority officers working in the organisation has increased by just one per cent, and the…
At least 50 families, comprising mostly teenagers, across the UK have been taken to family courts as part of Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism drive, a senior Metropolitan Police officer said on Sunday (30). Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner for specialist operations at the Met Police and head of the UK’s national counter-terrorism…
Sadiq Khan has hailed Britain’s biggest police force for reaching 4,000 ethnic minority officers for the first time – but admits “we need to do far better”. In an interview with Eastern Eye, the mayor of London said he will get legal advice on what the Metropolitan Police can do…
A former cabinet minister has criticised the Metropolitan Police for not taking strong action over vote fraud in Tower Hamlets in east London. The government review of the country’s voting system released last Friday (12) found evidence of malpractice among Britain’s Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. In a report presented to…
The parents of a student whose body was pulled from the River Thames two years ago have accused the Metropolitan Police of racism because of their alleged handling of the case. Krishna Chummun,19, went missing on August 7, 2015, after playing football with friends in Enfield, north London. His body…