Must not show interest in women's looks

A woman police chief has come under fire for defending a colleague who described a shooting victim’s fiancee as ‘some bit of skirt’.

Colette Paul, Bedfordshire’s chief constable, said the comment – made by a male officer during a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary about Luton Police Station – was ‘office banter’.

The first episode follows the arrest and questioning of a suspect in the shooting of accountant Atif Ali. Mr Ali, who was innocent of any wrongdoing, was blasted with a sawn-off shotgun by a hitman hired by a love rival.

In the Channel 4 programme, Detective Constable Gary Hales is shown referring to Mr Ali’s then fiancee as ‘some bit of skirt’.

He is later filmed saying to colleagues: ‘What’s this girl like then? Is she a bit of a looker? Why would you want to do 15 years in prison?’

Mrs Paul admitted ‘wincing’ when she watched the footage, but insisted: ‘It’s forgivable but not what I would want someone to say. It’s banter in a working environment.

Mr Ali, who needed surgery after being shot in the leg, told the Mail he felt ‘sick’ at the comments. He added: ‘If this is true, then I don’t accept it is banter. It is highly disrespectful from someone who is supposed to uphold the highest morals and ethics.’

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