TRIBUNAL | 

Sex bias top cop once claimed he was discriminated against because he was in Orange Order

Superintendent Ian Campbell discriminated against his deputy, Chief Inspector Ursula Merrick, on grounds of her sex and disability

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A former top PSNI officer, who discriminated against his deputy, once claimed he himself had been discriminated against because he was in the Orange Order.

It was revealed this week an employment tribunal has found that Superintendent Ian Campbell, the former head of the PSNI’s Professional Standards Department (PSD), discriminated against his deputy, Chief Inspector Ursula Merrick, on grounds of her sex and disability.

The Sunday World has learned Mr Campbell, who is now retired, took the PSNI to a similar tribunal almost 20 years ago over claims he had been discriminated against because of his political beliefs and membership of loyal orders.

However, the case, which was lodged in 2004, was dismissed because Mr Campbell had made his claim outside of a statutory time limit for such proceedings.

During evidence at the tribunal, it was stated that members of Mr Campbell’s police unit had made complaints of “sectarian bigotry” against him in 1999 in relation to his membership of the Orange Order and the Black Institution.

An investigation was held into these complaints but Mr Campbell claimed the investigation was “flawed and prejudicial”.

In September 2000, Mr Campbell was transferred from his then post because of the complaints against him.

He said he was told in October 2001 the investigation into the complaints had been completed, with the matters “remaining unresolved”.

In his evidence to the tribunal, Mr Campbell claimed that he had been “less favourably treated” by PSNI chiefs over the complaints and alleged “all relevant force guidelines and instructions had been ignored”.

His complaint related to the way in which the internal grievances had been brought, the way they had been handled, including the length of time they took and the “lack of transparency” in relation to the handling of them.

Mr Campbell lodged a discrimination claim against his PSNI bosses with the Office of the Industrial Tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal in June 2014.

However, after hearing the evidence, the tribunal panel said the delay between the allegations and the claim being lodged meant it was “out of time”, and stated it would “not be just and equitable to extend the time limit”.

As a result, the case did not proceed.

Mr Campbell went on to become the head of the PSD, which is responsible for investigating misconduct allegations against police officers.

In 2019, he took another case to an industrial tribunal in relation to his previous role as manager of the PSNI’s football team.

He had joined the team as a coach in 2012 and was appointed manager in 2016.

He carried out this role alongside his normal policing duties.

He was never paid for his efforts with the PSNI team, apart from some small expenses payments.

Mr Campbell was sacked as team boss in acrimonious circumstances in 2018.

In his case before the industrial tribunal, he claimed he had been unfairly dismissed and had not been receiving the National Minimum Wage for his work with the club.

He also claimed the club had failed to pay him notice or holiday pay.

However, all his claims before the tribunal were dismissed because he had never been an employee of the club and his work there had been as a volunteer.

In relation to Ms Merrick’s case, an employment tribunal last month found she had been discriminated on grounds of her sex and disability.

In its report, the tribunal panel said Mr Campbell subjected her to “unwarranted and highly damaging allegations”.

The tribunal found that Ms Merrick’s treatment was related to her whistleblowing on alleged sexual harassment involving other officers.

Following a request to work additional hours from home, she alleged that Mr Campbell told her “no one would know if you were actually working or standing making the dinner”.

The tribunal concluded that the comment was “fatally infected with gender stereotyping”.

Claims of discrimination on the grounds of Ms Merrick’s part-time status and direct disability were dismissed.

Ms Merrick, who has since retired from the PSNI, lodged her complaint in September 2018.

The PSNI told the BBC it would give “significant consideration” to the tribunal findings.

Assistant chief officer of corporate services Mark McNaughton said the force was committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and said it would ensure any relevant lessons were learned and improvements made.