Colour blind recruits accuse police boss of sex discrimination
from the Scottish Daily Mail 4 September 2007
by Fiona Davidson
Two men told they could not join Scotland's biggest police force because they are colour blind are suing its chief constable - for sex discrimination.
Robin Dixon and Graeme McCullie applied to join Strathclyde Police and went through a rigorous selection procedure.
However they were told they had failed in their bid to join the force because they are colour blind.
The two men claim the decision was discriminatory on the basis that more men than women suffer from the condition and have taken their case to en employment tribunal.
Mr Dixon, 25, from Hamilton, Lanarkshire, has previously pursued a disability discrimination claim against Strathclyde Police as a result of his failed job application in November 2005.
That complaint was rejected by a Glasgow employment tribunal in August last year on the grounds that it was time barred.
However he has since discovered he may be able to pursue an indirect sex discrimination claim after reading of a case in England involving a colour blind police officer who raised an action against Hertfordshire Constabulary.
In that case, an officer suffered discrimination because his colour blindness meant he could not distinguish shades of green. An industrial tribunal confirmed that this could amount to indirect sex discrimination.
Mr Dixon told a preliminary hearing held in Glasgow yesterday to decide if his sex discrimination is time-barred that he was rejected by Strathclyde Police in November 2005 because of a colour vision abnormality.
He siad it was only after reading news reports that he learned about the Hertfordshire case and lodged his sex discrimination claim within a week.
However Strathclyde Police argued his family was aware of the English case prior to the publication of newspaper articles.
The tribunal heard Mr Dixon had previously been advised by Strathclyde Police that there were no reasonable adjustments that would enable him to carry out operational policing duties.
He was told at a meeting with Chief Inspector Douglas Campbell that he would have made a good police constable but his application would not be progressed.
Mr Dixon had highlighted a police circular about eyesight standards but Strathclyde Police said it was for guidance only and ultimately the decision rested with the Chief Constable, William Rae.
Mr Campbell told Mr Dixon there were concerns about not only his own health and safety but also that of other officers and the public.
The officer said there were worries over the reliability and credibility of any evidence he might have to give and said Mr Dixon's ability to distinguish colours could be called into question.
Mr McCullie, 28, from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, whose application was rejected by Strathclyde Police in December 2005, lodged his sex discrimination claim after reading press reports last year.
The case continues.
by Fiona Davidson
Two men told they could not join Scotland's biggest police force because they are colour blind are suing its chief constable - for sex discrimination.
Robin Dixon and Graeme McCullie applied to join Strathclyde Police and went through a rigorous selection procedure.
However they were told they had failed in their bid to join the force because they are colour blind.
The two men claim the decision was discriminatory on the basis that more men than women suffer from the condition and have taken their case to en employment tribunal.
Mr Dixon, 25, from Hamilton, Lanarkshire, has previously pursued a disability discrimination claim against Strathclyde Police as a result of his failed job application in November 2005.
That complaint was rejected by a Glasgow employment tribunal in August last year on the grounds that it was time barred.
However he has since discovered he may be able to pursue an indirect sex discrimination claim after reading of a case in England involving a colour blind police officer who raised an action against Hertfordshire Constabulary.
In that case, an officer suffered discrimination because his colour blindness meant he could not distinguish shades of green. An industrial tribunal confirmed that this could amount to indirect sex discrimination.
Mr Dixon told a preliminary hearing held in Glasgow yesterday to decide if his sex discrimination is time-barred that he was rejected by Strathclyde Police in November 2005 because of a colour vision abnormality.
He siad it was only after reading news reports that he learned about the Hertfordshire case and lodged his sex discrimination claim within a week.
However Strathclyde Police argued his family was aware of the English case prior to the publication of newspaper articles.
The tribunal heard Mr Dixon had previously been advised by Strathclyde Police that there were no reasonable adjustments that would enable him to carry out operational policing duties.
He was told at a meeting with Chief Inspector Douglas Campbell that he would have made a good police constable but his application would not be progressed.
Mr Dixon had highlighted a police circular about eyesight standards but Strathclyde Police said it was for guidance only and ultimately the decision rested with the Chief Constable, William Rae.
Mr Campbell told Mr Dixon there were concerns about not only his own health and safety but also that of other officers and the public.
The officer said there were worries over the reliability and credibility of any evidence he might have to give and said Mr Dixon's ability to distinguish colours could be called into question.
Mr McCullie, 28, from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, whose application was rejected by Strathclyde Police in December 2005, lodged his sex discrimination claim after reading press reports last year.
The case continues.
- Link to this post
http://politically-correct.blogspot.com/2007/09/colour-blind-recruits-accuse-police.html
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Labels: colour blind, colour vision, discrimination, police, sex discrimination, strathclyde police
posted by Absolutely PC at 7:19 pm
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