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Seven police officers with Greater Manchester Police are being investigated over allegations of racial discrimination.
Five officers have been suspended and a further two placed on restricted duties, the police force said, after accusations of discriminatory behaviour were made on 3 July.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog said it was investigating officers “alleged to have engaged in conversations of a discriminatory nature”.
A source told the Manchester Evening News that the allegations concerned “extreme racism, calling people awful names and boasting about it in the station”, with the paper reporting that experienced officers both on and off duty were allegedly involved.
The investigation emerged a day after a damning review by former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird found women and girls had been treated like meat and subjected to unjustified strip searches in the custody of Greater Manchester Police.
“We’ve suspended five officers and put two officers on restricted duties on the Bury district following a report made of racial discrimination,” the force said in a statement.
“GMP has a zero tolerance on discriminatory behaviour from any of our officers and staff.
“We are deeply concerned by the allegations and will not hesitate to take any action necessary. The IOPC who are independently investigating following our referral.”
In a statement reported by the Evening News, the IOPC said: “We will investigate allegations that these officers openly engaged in conversations and either used, or failed to challenge, offensive language.
“We began an independent investigation on Thursday 4 July following a conduct referral from the force the day before. We are reviewing the available material and will notify the officers of their status in our investigation.”
IOPC regional director Catherine Bates said: “Officers are expected to maintain exemplary standards of conduct and professionalism.
“This type of behaviour has the potential to undermine the public’s confidence and trust in policing, in addition to the impact it has on officers who conduct themselves with integrity.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation to establish the evidence and ensure any discriminatory behaviour is dealt with appropriately. This does not necessarily mean conduct proceedings or criminal charges will follow and the status of all officers will remain under review throughout the investigation.”
