West Midlands Police to pay ex-firearms officer Rebecca Kalam £820,000 in sex discrimination payout

West Midlands Police have stressed sweeping changes have been made to improve “culture, standards and the working environment” following the sex harassment ordeal suffered by a female firearms officer. 

Rebecca Kalam was yesterday (January 9) awarded £820,000 for the treatment she endured while serving in the force.

In one incident, during training excercises in March 2012, she had to strip down to her underwear while acting as a “stooge” in a training exercise. The former detective inspector was also forced to pose for a photo shoot while five months pregnant. 

In a full statement, West Midlands Police deputy chief constable Scott Green stressed: “There is no place in policing for misogynistic, discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour and much progress has been made to set and reinforce the highest standards of conduct and professionalism.” 

Last November Ms Kalam, forced to retire from the force on medical grounds, was awarded £30,000 by an employment tribunal for sex harassment and discrimination.  It was ruled back then the 40-year-old should be compensated for lost earnings and pension on the basis she would’ve retired as a superintendent at 60. 

At yesterday’s Birmingham hearing, West Midlands Police were ordered to pay a total of £820,720. 

What has West Midlands Police said about the case?

In yesterday’s statement, Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green said: “I am sorry that more was not done sooner to address the serious issues raised by Mrs Kalam and I apologise for the significant impact that these have had on her which has been highlighted during the tribunal.   

“Many of these issues date back to 2012 when Mrs Kalam joined the Firearms Unit. Over the past two years, under the leadership of Chief Superintendent Sarah Burton, officers and staff in the Firearms Unit have worked hard to improve culture, standards and the working environment.   

“There is no place in policing for misogynistic, discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour and much progress has been made to set and reinforce the highest standards of conduct and professionalism. 

“This includes positive changes to the working environment, training and development opportunities.  All female firearms officers have been issued with equipment specific to their individual needs, including formed ballistic protection. We have also introduced new arrangements to procure female specific uniform and equipment, and female firearms officers are now involved in trialling and assessing new uniform and equipment.” 

He added: “We have reviewed how we recruit firearms officers to increase the diversity of people who apply and remove barriers to recruitment. We have also changed and bolstered the leadership in our Operations and Firearms units. 

“Alongside this we have changed how our firearms officers work as part of our local policing model to support our neighbourhood and response teams in serving local communities. The tribunal recognises that we have taken the grievance and disciplinary matters raised by Mrs Kalam seriously.  

“The steps we have taken are helping us to attract and retain the best and most diverse people in firearms policing, and benefit those already working in this critical area. We continue to make progress to ensure that we are trusted by the public as we go about our duty to protect them.”