Lambeth Cop Says He’s Being Hounded By Homophobic Colleagues

Guardian

Monday March 25, 2002 6:52 AM

Lambeth police chief Brian Paddick claims he may be the victim of his “softly, softly” approach to cannabis.

Commander Paddick was last week removed from his duties after allegations about his private life emerged in a Sunday newspaper.

Mr Paddick and his supporters have condemned his treatment as a “witchhunt” from a small number of homophobic colleagues because of his sexuality.

He said: “They can’t attack my police record. They also found it difficult to criticise my approach to drugs because recent independent reports have backed me.

“So the only thing left to undermine me is my private life.”

Mr Paddick, Britain’s highest-ranking openly-gay police officer, says he feels he is being targeted because of his introduction of new ideas and ways of policing – and insists he has no regrets.

“In any war you get casualties,” he told The Mirror. “I’m a casualty in a bigger war.”

Commander Paddick told the paper he is not “soft” on drugs and insists that cannabis was still illegal and harmful.

His policy arose out of logistical concerns about the number of officers in the borough and the need to prioritise by clamping down on harder drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.

“If I was a commander for another borough that didn’t have the difficulties Lambeth has, or if I had another 250 extra officers, then I’d probably not have suggested the cannabis policy.

“It is about the effective use of scarce police resources.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,1271,-1610808,00.html