Senior gay police officer claims he may be forced to quit post

By Benjamin Cohen • April 28, 2006 - 0:00

Brian Paddick is the most senior gay police officer in Britain

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Brian Paddick, the Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Britain's most senior gay police officer has said that he maybe forced to quit the force by the end of the year.

The Pandora column in the Independent claimed that whilst attending a fund-raising party for Stonewall, Mr Paddick told guests that he had fallen out with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair.

"Things are really not going well at the moment," he said. "The commissioner and I had a difference of opinion over the Stockwell shooting.

"They made a comment about it, then issued a retraction, but it was a compromise. It's caused tensions. The option to take my pension in the autumn has always been there and I may well end up doing just that."

Last month, it emerged that there were conflicts between his account of the tube shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes last year, and the official police statement.

Commenting on his future, Mr Paddick said: "I'm exploring other options. I've got a reputation for integrity and independence, so that probably rules out politics."

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