Police response to 'Islamophobic' school assault 'not suitable'
- Published
Dr Mohammed Aslam said his family had been treated "with contempt"
A police force has been told to review its handling of an alleged Islamophobic attack on a teenage boy.
Idris Aslam's family said he was kicked, punched and called "a terrorist" at Oakwood Academy in Warren Hill, Nottinghamshire, in January.
They claim Nottinghamshire Police did not take the case seriously and have treated them "with contempt".
In response, the force said it had "taken [the incident] seriously" and it was "appropriately investigated".
Idris's grandfather, Dr Mohammed Aslam, said the then 13-year-old boy was told "you're a terrorist", "your dad's Bin Laden" and "go back to where you came from".
He claimed officers refused to accept it was an Islamophobic hate crime, insisting it was only race-related.
"I said it wasn't just a race issue - it was also an Islamophobic issue... because of his faith, not just his colour," Dr Aslam said.
The attack took place at Oakwood Academy in January
He accused the police of treating the family "with contempt" by dealing with one suspect using an approach usually employed for less serious offences.
"The community resolution approach of let's shake hands and kiss each other on the cheek might be a fine response if it was just schoolyard banter," Dr Aslam said.
Police said one boy was given a community resolution consisting of an "intervention program", while no further action was taken against a second boy "following his declaration of self-defence".
Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the procedure used by the force to deal with Dr Aslam's complaints - known as local resolution - was "not suitable".
An IOPC spokesman said: "We have now directed Nottinghamshire Police to carry out a local investigation."
Det Ch Insp Leigh Sanders, from Nottinghamshire Police's professional standards department, said: "I can give my personal assurance, having reviewed our response to this incident, this was taken seriously and was appropriately investigated as racially-motivated from when it was reported.
"Since the matter was referred to the IOPC, we have worked with them to review our response to this incident."
The BBC has asked Oakwood Academy to comment.
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