Greater Manchester Police has suspended eight officers and placed another on restricted duties after a report was made of alleged racial discrimination.

Seven of the suspended officers are from the Bury district, and one is from Rochdale who was working in Bury at the time of the allegations, the force has said.

The move follows the suspension of five officers and the placing of two others on restricted duties, all from the Bury district, on 17 July, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) added.

The force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in relation to both cases.

The IOPC is investigating the first report but has reviewed and referred the second incident back to GMP to investigate.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Allen, the head of GMP’s professional standards directorate, said: “The reports we have received are deeply concerning and I hope to reassure the community of Bury, the wider public, and the GMP workforce that a full and thorough investigation is being conducted into these matters.”

GMP under pressure after damning report and viral video

The suspensions come as a GMP constable is under criminal investigation after a video shared widely on social media showed an officer kicking a man in the head at Manchester Airport.

There is no suggestion the suspensions announced today are linked to that case.

Protests took place in Rochdale and the centre of Manchester after the video emerged, as the city’s mayor Andy Burnham urged people to “take a step back” and allow the authorities to carry out their investigations.

Read more:
Footage shows moments before man kicked in head
Mayor says incident where officer kicked man isn’t ‘clear cut’
What has GMP learned from the Baird Review?

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The video emerged after a damning report found GMP officers are abusing their power – making unlawful arrests, carrying out unlawful and demeaning strip searches, sometimes treating victims as perpetrators, and traumatising those who have suffered sexual abuse or domestic violence.

The Baird Inquiry was launched in response to a Sky News investigation into GMP’s treatment of three women in custody in one police station.

However, the inquiry looked at problems in all but one of Greater Manchester’s police stations.

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