One of the seniormost police officers of Britain has been accused of excluding black and Asian detectives in favour of a “golden circle” of white officers.A senior Asian officer, Commander Shabir Hussain, claimed that he was passed over for promotion by Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.Fortyfive-year-old Hussain told an employment tribunal being held in Stratford, east London, that Sir Ian used his “very significant influence” over the selection process of the Metropolitan Police Authority to earmark his chosen officers. Hussain claimed he was rejected an four times for promotion. Earlier, Sergeant Gurpal Virdi, a Sikh detective, was awarded £70,400 in damages after a tribunal ruled that he had been passed over for promotion because he had brought discrimination claims against the Metropolitan Police Service.
