Greater Manchester police investigates claim it has BNP members in ranks

· Off-duty colleagues said to have been at pub event
· Force seizes CCTV footage of St George's Day incident

One of Britain's biggest police forces is investigating allegations that it has British National party members among its frontline officers, the Guardian has learned. Greater Manchester police launched the investigation after complaints from its own officers, who say they saw colleagues at a BNP event to mark St George's Day.

The supporters of the extreme right-wing party had gathered outside a pub in Manchester city centre and police were called after complaints that they had turned rowdy.

The allegations are especially embarrassing for Greater Manchester Police, (GMP) which was one of the forces whose trainee officers were caught making racist remarks by an undercover television programme. After the revelations in the BBC Secret Policeman documentary the force vowed to stamp out racism in the ranks.

The force says it has seized CCTV footage and its detectives will scour it frame by frame for evidence. The force vowed that any officer found to be a BNP member could be sacked. But the BNP claimed it has members among the force's ranks.

The incident happened at 4.30pm on April 23. Around 120 BNP supporters were reported to be milling around Sinclair's Oyster Bar, and were reported to be chanting abuse at passers by. Some were wearing T-shirts saying "Love Britain or Fuck off" and shouting BNP slogans. One officer present claims he saw a fellow officer wearing a BNP badge. Bar managers feared trouble and called police to help them clear away the BNP supporters.

The report that sparked the investigation came from an inspector sent to the scene to help quell the disturbance.

Police sources say the inspector does not claim he saw officers whom he recognised as part of the BNP group. His report relays allegations from other officers that they recognised some of the crowd as off duty policemen.

Senior GMP officers are sceptical of the claims of BNP members in their ranks. The force's initial reaction to the undercover footage obtained by the BBC of their trainee officers being racist, was to arrest the undercover reporter who obtained it.

Police officers are not allowed to be members of the BNP, which is widely seen as being racist and which has members with convictions for violence. The policy was passed by police chiefs three years ago. They say membership of the party is incompatible with officers' duties under race equality laws.

Ali Dizaei of the National Black Police Association, who is a chief superintendent in the Metropolitan police, called for an independent investigation: "It beggars belief that in today's police service we appear to have serving police officers who are members of the BNP."

He added: "These allegations must be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Police should now carry out an investigation of all police forces to find the extent of the problem which, if not addressed, will have significant impact on legitimacy of policing in the UK."

Chief Superintendent Terry Sweeney, head of the GMP's professional standards branch, said: "There is absolutely no evidence at this time to suggest that any GMP employees took part in the disturbance. GMP's professional standards branch received a report on May 2 from an officer who was present on April 23 and was concerned there may have been off-duty police employees in the vicinity.

"The officer did not see any GMP employees involved in the disturbance himself, but has rightly brought to our attention the information he received from other people. We will investigate this thoroughly to establish if any off-duty officers or staff were involved. If it emerges that any staff were part of the disturbance, we will take the strongest possible action. As part of the investigation, we have taken CCTV from the city centre and will be looking at it frame by frame.

"The chief constable has made it clear that BNP members are not welcome in the GMP. No police officer or member of police staff may be in the BNP and anyone found to be a member is likely to be dismissed."

Asked if there were serving police officers who were also BNP members, Phil Edwards, a spokesman for the extremist organisation, said: "I believe there are."

Guardian

BNP pulls out of elections in Stafford

The British National Party has decided not to field a candidate in the borough council elections in Stafford this year amid fears they will lose their jobs.

The extreme nationalists had announced plans earlier this year to contest seats in the Highfields ward in Stafford and St Michael’s, Stone, for the first time on May 3. But party spokesman Simon Darby told the Newsletter the potential candidates were concerned they could lose their jobs as there had been similar cases in other areas.

And he also admitted the party had failed to drum up enough interest from the public.

He added: "There have been incidents in other parts of the country where people have lost their jobs. We had no-one prepared to stand in Stafford so we’ve had to abandon our plans for now but we’ll be back at the next election."

But former Liberal Democrat borough councillors Frank James and Nicholas Brundrit will stand again as Labour councillors. Mr James, who was ousted at the 1998 election just as he was due to be made mayor of the town, will contest the Tillington ward after defecting from his former party.

Mr James, whose father Doug was a Tory councillor and borough mayor, said: "One of the reasons I have changed is because I was so upset with the county council decision over the closure of the care homes. I thought: 'If you can’t beat them join them.' I felt I needed a change of direction. I have always represented people as a trade unionist and said I would not stand again as a Liberal Democrat councillor. I just felt I could go no further with them.

"I was approached by all parties, including the BNP and independent groups but I decided to join Labour. I discussed it with my father before he died and he was happy about it. People know me in the Tillington ward. I live within it and I want to make things happen."

Meanwhile, Tory councillor Mike Heenan said the Conservative party was fielding a candidate in every ward for the first time and one of them was his own son Mark.

Mark Heenan, 25, said: "I have been quite involved with the party for a while and with my dad being a councillor I’ve been involved for most of my life so I decided to stand myself."

And Liberal Democrat councillor Brendan McKeown is standing in the Haywood and Hixon ward rather than Chartley, as he lives in Hixon.

The candidate lists were handed in to Stafford Borough Council yesterday before the deadline at noon. Potential candidates now have four days to withdraw.

Staffordshire Newsletter