Falling Foul Of Employment Law...

A judge has ruled that three white police officers were unfairly passed over for promotion because of their race. Detective Inspector Phillip Turner-Robson, Inspector Graham Horton and Kirsteen Bishop, a custody inspector, brought employment tribunal proceedings against Thames Valley Police claiming to have been disadvantaged because of they were, as described in the tribunal, 'white British.'

The tribunal heard that in an attempt to improve diversity among senior staff a superintendent at the force was told to 'make it happen' by appointing an 'Asian' sergeant to the rank of detective inspector.

In other words, told to do something illegal. But Julia, you will say, why expect a modern-day senior police officer to know the law? And you'd be right. 

But the HR department did know the law:

This was despite having been warned about the legal risks of not holding a competitive process.

Looks like not all the scofflaws are on the other side... 

...the following month, Superintendent Emma Baillie made the decision to move Sergeant Sidhu, whose forename was not provided, into the role without undertaking any competitive process or advertising the vacancy to staff, the tribunal was told. The sergeant had not even been promoted to inspector at the time she was made detective inspector, the tribunal heard, after deputy chief constable Jason Hogg and the Superintendent had 'jumped the gun' and given her the senior role.

It gets better and better, doesn't it? 

She then tried to 'retrospectively justify' the decision by saying the appointment came under a 'BAME Progression Program which clearly did not exist at the time'.

In other words, by lying. Don't they frown on that sort of thing?

Why, yes Ted, they do, don't they?

Why is she - and Hogg -  not facing malfeasance in public office charges?