AN INVESTIGATION has been launched into claims by singer Jamelia that she was racially abused in Barnt Green on Monday (June 27) by a man who she thought was a police officer.
The pop star and Loose Women presenter took to social media to report the incident which she said happened after she had overtaken a man while she was in a hurry to get to the village’s railway station
She said he had followed her and her two children to the car park.
“I was running late, and in a rush. Not an excuse, it wasn’t the right thing to do. “
She claimed he shouted at her, swore with racial slurs and told her she should have waited and she said when she tried to apologise the hateful insults got worse and she asked him not to swear in front of her children, 15-year-old Teja and Tiana, aged ten.
“I replied, ‘OK, goodbye’ and he then opened his car door in a rage and said ‘come here and say that to my face’ and as he stepped out, his car started rolling, thank God. Scared, I grabbed my girls, and more or less ran towards the station and didn’t look back.
“As upset as I am about this interaction, I am mostly disappointed because this man was a police officer.”
Jamelia told her friends and fans, who had left thousands of comments and shared her post more than 1,000 times, she had reported the incident.
She and her children described the man as ‘a disgrace to his uniform’ and in regards to the claims of racial abuse she added: “The use of ‘black’ as a slur is absolutely ridiculous. Being black is one of our most wonderful blessings, and only haters choose to see it as a curse.”
Supt Helena Bennet said: “West Mercia Police can confirm that on Monday (June 27) we received a formal complaint in relation to this incident.
“We have spoken to the victim and discussed the individual’s clothing and our uniform with her.
“The clothing of the man involved differs from that of local operational officers.
“It is not clear at this time whether the man was a police officer or not and we are keeping an open mind as to his identity.
She added a full investigation was being carried out, officers were reviewing CCTV from the area and enquiries were ongoing to identify the person involved.
“We continue to take the matter seriously.
“We do not tolerate racism either within our communities or our workforce and, whether the individual involved is a serving officer or not, we will ensure the appropriate action is taken.”
Any witnesses or anyone with any information should call 101.
