Tony Bristow

Tony Bristow

A community support officer (PCSO) who came under fire for telling racist jokes has been recruited into the police force, despite the grave concerns raised by his own colleagues.

PCSO Tony Bristow was disciplined for making racist jokes but still promoted to become a full-time constable inspite of this.

He came under fire after harassing his colleagues by sending them racist comments, and offensive statements about Pakistanis.

However, rather than lose his job as those in many other industries would have done had they behaved in a similar manner, he was given a “written warning” and told to attend “cultural awareness training”.

His colleagues have expressed their dismay over the result.

One officer, who asked not to be named, said that the incident highlights the fact that racism is not taken seriously by the police.

The officer said: “There’s no question in my mind – he should have lost his job. Racism, in any form, should not be tolerated. The fact that he kept his job sends completely the wrong message to other officers and members of the public.

“To have kept his job and now been taken on as a full-time serving PC is a joke and a sad reflection on just how seriously the force views racism and racist attitudes.”

Another, who also wished to remain anonymous, said: “At the time he was given the warning, nobody could believe it. It was 100 per cent expected that he would lose his job. Now we’ve read in the paper about people making silly mistakes and losing their jobs for things that are nothing like as serious.

“There are PCSOs and Specials (constables) in Avon and Somerset who have a clean disciplinary record and have applied for regular jobs and this ‘gentleman’, for want of a better word, got in. Why are we recruiting people who have been found guilty of racist behaviour?”.

Competition for police jobs is extremely fierce. Earlier this year, when recruitment opened following a two-year freeze, the force received 3,996 applications to fill between 100 and 150 vacancies.

Superintendent Paul Richards, the head of the force’s Professional Standards Department, said: “The PCSO apologised unreservedly to all those who were affected and was given a written warning, and required to take part in cultural awareness training.”

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