Rebecca Kalam: Officer 'vindicated' after sex discrimination win

Rebecca Kalam told Channel 4 News she suffered repeated sex discrimination as a firearms officer

A firearms officer awarded £30,000 after she was stripped down to her underwear during a training exercise said she felt "vindicated" by the decision.

Rebecca Kalam received the payout after an employment tribunal heard she was subjected to sexist and derogatory language at West Midlands Police.

She successfully sued for harassment, sex discrimination and victimisation.

West Midlands Police said it was considering the judgement findings.

A further claim for future loss of earnings and pensions will be decided in January.

In an exclusive statement to the BBC, Mrs Kalam said she was "saddened" the harassment, discrimination, victimisation and bullying she had experienced had not remained an "isolated experience".

"Only now have West Midlands Police accepted full liability for their many, many failures, yet there remains no clear cultural change or protection for its female officers," she said.

Det Insp Kalam was a firearms officer at the force from July 2012

A former detective inspector, Mrs Kalam worked at the force from September 2008 and joined the Firearms Operation Unit in 2012, before medically retiring in July 2023.

The tribunal in Birmingham heard how in March 2012, she was required to act as a "stooge" in a mock training exercise by having her clothes cut off so first aid could be given.

She said she had felt "extremely uncomfortable" during the scenario, based on a bullet hole at the top of her left breast, which officers would have to treat.

'Poster girl'

She claimed on another occasion a male officer pushed her down with his foot on the back of her neck while she was doing press-ups, before telling her having breasts "does not mean you cannot do a press-up".

The tribunal heard the force failed to provide her with suitable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including ballistic body armour or a handgun with an "easy trigger pull" like male officers.

The officer was also made the "poster girl" for the firearms unit and required to undergo a photoshoot when five months pregnant in April 2016, the tribunal heard.

In a judgement published last week, employment judge Christopher Camp said Mrs Kalam had also suffered "significant psychiatric injury" which had left her too unwell to work.

Judge Camp said admitted wrongs had resulted in a "relatively young" and "ambitious" woman having been "rendered unable to work for the police again for the foreseeable future".

Mrs Kalam told the BBC "extraordinary people" were "let down" by managers, senior leadership and a "litany" of "flawed" disciplinary processes, and she encouraged officers to challenge the behaviour of their peers.

"I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my witnesses and supporters for their immense courage, much at the risk and detriment to their own careers," she added.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said it was considering the findings of the judgement

It was also said that Mrs Kalam, whose husband is a detective sergeant with the force, would have made the rank of superintendent had she not been subjected to discrimination and victimisation.

Her claim for aggravated damages was dismissed but she was awarded compensation of £30,000 for injury to feelings.

She was previously awarded £3,000 for physical injuries she sustained as a result of unsuitable PPE, including two second-degree burns.

At the time, she was one of only seven female firearms officers in the unit, which included up to 250 men.

"I feel sorry for Rebecca and the experience she had, I had the privilege of knowing her, and knew how much she enjoyed her role," said former West Midlands Police superintendent Karen Geddes.

Cultural change

Some of the tribunal's findings were not a surprise, she added, as historically departments like firearms had been male dominated.

"It doesn't matter what uniform you have, if you don't have females to go and put the uniform on, then it will sit in a cupboard.

"For me, it is what cultural change have you had within the department to ensure that somebody will want to follow after Rebecca, considering the experience she has had."

Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green said he was "sorry that more was not done sooner" to address the "serious concerns" Mrs Kalam had raised.

He said staff at the firearms unit had worked hard to improve the culture and standards and had made "significant progress" in the past two years, with all female officers issued with specific uniform and equipment.

"There is no place for misogynistic, discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour in policing and we are working hard to set and reinforce the highest professional standards," he said.

"These important steps are helping us to attract and retain the best and most diverse people in firearms policing, and benefit those already working in this critical area and the public they serve."

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