THE NATIONAL Black Police Association (NBPA) is calling on Black Britons to boycott joining the Metropolitan Police.

The call comes after the force announced that the current chair of the Met’s Black Police Association is facing gross misconduct proceedings after he allegedly received and sent inappropriate WhatsApp messages.

Details surrounding the charges against Inspector Charles Ehikioya have not been released to the public, but the National Black Police Association (NBPA) insist he was racially abused in a WhatsApp Group and is not being treated as the victim.

According to The Standard, a slur referencing “cotton picking” was made about the Inspector in a WhatsApp group.

NBPA members claimed the misconduct investigation is “racist and vexatious” and is a direct result of Ehikioya voicing concerns about the poor behaviour of senior officers and the racism he and his colleagues are suffering.

The NBPA added, that instead of treating him as the victim there has been a deliberate and concerted effort to ‘find dubious evidence’ to prevent him from representing members suffering discrimination and holding the Commissioner to account in public forums.

Andy George, President of the National Black Police Association, said: “There appears to be a large-scale PR exercise being completed by the MPS and the timing of this complaint leads me to believe that there is a desire to remove dissenting voices from police discourse.

“Given the crisis in confidence highlighted through so many incidents and reports. I cannot say that we can adequately protect and support officers of colour within the MPS.

“For that reason, I take the extraordinary step of saying that we no longer have confidence in the Commissioner or his senior leadership team to bring about the necessary and promised reformed to the service.

“I also regretfully recommend that anyone from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds do not join the MPS until there is more rigorous accountability placed on the Commissioner and more resources given to the Met BPA so they can provide wrap-around support to those in need.”

Casey Review

Ehikioya is currently on restricted duties and cannot represent staff or attend meetings with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime. If misconduct claims against him are proved he could be dismissed.

Ehikioya denies the claims.

The group referred to the Casey Review, which identified that Black officers were 81% more likely to face misconduct than their white counterparts and that, “allegations against officers and staff of colour might follow when they raise their head above the parapet to call out poor behaviour. This is a pattern embedded across Met culture: speaking out often results in adverse consequences for the complainant.”

Leroy Logan MBE, former Met BPA Chair said: “The MPS has done what it can to prevent the Met BPA from forming and ever since its inception has tried to remove the honest voice of our members from public debate.

“I myself was targeted as Chair of the Met BPA, so it comes as no surprise to me that they have decided to target the current Chair.”

Mina Smallman, the mum of the murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, added: “I am dismayed that rather than work with the association, the Met is now targeting the chair of the Met BPA.

“The NBPA are critical in helping policing improve after the scathing report from Baroness Casey.”

The Met BPA last called for a boycott from the Black and Asian community in 2008.