Operational note: the Virdi Inquiry Report

01/02
07 January 2002

To mark the publication of the Virdi Inquiry Report, there will be a press conference in the Press Room at Romney House, 43 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3PY on Wednesday 9 January 2002 at 11.00am.

R. David Muir, Independent Member of the MPA and Chair of the Inquiry, will lead the press conference. The Deputy Commissioner Ian Blair and Mr and Mrs Gurpal Virdi will also be attending.

The Chair of the MPA, Toby Harris announced on 1 September 2000 that R. David Muir would chair an Inquiry into the case of Mr Gurpal Virdi. The other members of the Virdi Inquiry Panel were:

• Deputy Chair: Angela Slaven, former Independent Member of the MPA
• Panel Members: Radhika Bynon, Sir Geoffrey Dear, Nicola Williams
• Observers: Ahmed Ramiz, Beverley Thompson
• Expert Advisor: Lord Navnit Dholakia
• Senior Policy Advisor: Sue Harper 

Notes to editors

1. Copies of the Virdi Inquiry Report will be available to media from 9.30am onwards on the day of press conference, to be collected from the Romney House, Tufton Street reception area. The Virdi Inquiry Report will also be posted on the MPA website from 11.00am onwards on Wednesday 9 January 2002. 

2. Case History:
Gurpal Virdi joined the MPS on 10 May 1982. In September 1992 he moved to Ealing Division, where, in November 1992, he was promoted to Sergeant.

On 24 December 1997, 13 officers, including PS Virdi, received racist literature. On 19 January 1998, a number of civil staff received separate racist literature. It appeared that the literature had been generated and sent via the internal mail system. During the investigation that followed a female white officer, PC Batchelor, was questioned and eliminated from the enquiries. On 15 April 1998, PS Virdi was arrested for offences of distributing racist hate mail. 

The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently decided not to proceed with criminal charges, but on 7 February 2000 PS Virdi appeared before a police disciplinary tribunal. On 3 March 2000 he was found guilty and dismissed from the Metropolitan Police Service.

PS Virdi took the Metropolitan Police Service to Employment Tribunal and on 23 August 2000, the Tribunal found that he had been discriminated against on the grounds of his race. PS Virdi subsequently appealed against the decision of the disciplinary tribunal and on the 30 November 2000 he was reinstated. At the time of publication of this report he has not returned to work.

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