Ground breaking steps by MPA to achieve settlement between MPS and Superintendent Ali Dizaei

84/03
30 October 2003

Toby Harris, Chair of the MPA, said:

"The MPA took ground breaking steps to achieve a settlement between all parties by encouraging the use of the services offered by ACAS. We were determined that this matter should be resolved as quickly as possible.

"The MPA took this initiative in recognition of the distress and damage that a protracted dispute would cause to the relationship between all individuals and organisations involved in the matter and, in a wider sense, to the black and ethnic minority communities in London.

"The Authority were involved in all stages of negotiations and are therefore very satisfied that a resolution between the MPS and Superintendent Ali Dizaei has been reached swiftly.

"We are also very grateful for the hard work and commitment of all the parties involved in the efforts to resolve this matter including the National Black Police Association and the Met Black Police Association, as well as for the services provided by ACAS.

"Following the TV documentary 'The Secret Policeman' and the destructive fall out from that for black and ethnic minorities communities, it is really urgent that we move on and work together with the BPA and the NBPA to improve and boost community confidence in the MPS.

"Now that resolution has been achieved, and the NBPA has re-engaged with the MPS, we can, with the BPA and the NBPA, encourage black and minority ethnic recruits into the Met."

The MPA has set up an Independent Inquiry into the handling of internal investigations and grievances within the MPS and the terms of reference will be wide enough to ensure that the inquiry team will be able to deal with any racist issues it discovers in the course of its investigations. This should give police Staff Associations as well as community groups sufficient confidence that their concerns are being addressed.

Recognising the public interest in, and the sensitivity of, the investigation into Supt. Ali Dizaei, the MPA has required the MPS to commission a management review of Operation Helios to be fed into the Inquiry. The Authority has asked the MPS to appoint someone independent of the MPS to conduct the case study, consulting a number of interested parties including the Superintendents Association, the BPA, the NBPA and the IAG as to the suitability of the person proposed.

Toby Harris concluded:

"The MPS has undergone a radical shift in internal culture over the past five years. This is widely acknowledged and respected. What we now know is that we must work even harder and smarter to achieve the final goal of a police service that earns the trust and confidence of all its staff."

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