Councillor’s ‘black’ police comment recorded as hate incident

Comments made by a Torbay councillor which referred to ‘black officers’ on a police patrol have been officially recorded as a ‘hate incident’

But police have confirmed that no criminal offence has taken place.
Conservative councillor Hazel Foster (Wellswood) said she had been horrified when she realised what she had said in a hastily-written social media post, and changed it immediately.
She only realised what she had written when it was pointed out to her by Torbay Council’s monitoring officer following a complaint.
Cllr Foster had been discussing policing in the town centre when she wrote: “I’ve just driven through Torquay. Police van parked in front of town hall and two black officers walking past the closed Castle pub.”
Ellacombe Liberal Democrat councillor Jermaine Atiya-Alla, who is the council’s spokesman on racial equality and inclusion, complained to monitoring officer Amanda Barlow about the Facebook post.
Ms Barlow said Cllr Foster had not breached the Town Hall’s code of conduct as she was writing as a private individual and not a councillor.
But, she said, the Facebook post had caused harm and offence, and she had asked Cllr Foster to take it down or amend it.
Now it is understood that police have been in touch with a member of the public who lodged the complaint.
They say the incident itself has been recorded as a ‘hate Incident’.
And they say that while no criminal offences have taken place, it is clear that the person who complained thought the comments showed prejudice on the grounds of race.
Cllr Foster’s social media post was, say police, a typing error in which she had intended to refer to police officers wearing black uniforms.
Asked to comment on the issue, Cllr Foster said: “I was referring to two officers who were both wearing black uniforms.
“When the confusion was brought to my attention I clarified the point.”