UK police officers
Metropolitan police officers in a file photo. Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images

Three Met Police officers accused of racially abusing a black firefighter during an incident in September 2011 could lose their jobs, The Guardian has reported. Edric Kennedy-Macfoy had complained that he was abused by PCs Mark Gatland, Daniel Roberts and inspector Sutinderjit Mahil (a sergeant at the time of the incident) and was also shot with a Taser gun. The trio face a disciplinary panel on Monday (18 July), on charges of gross misconduct and racial abuse.

According to Kennedy-Macfoy, 32, officers behaved like "wild animals" when he called them in Harrow, north London, to report a man who had hurled a rock at a police van. But despite his intention to assist them, the officers allegedly started abusing him because of his complexion.

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The charges against the officers were investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and it was found that Gatland allegedly "used unreasonable force and discharged a Taser without warning and that on both occasions his actions were motivated by racial discrimination and/or racial stereotyping and so treated the victim less favourably".

It was also alleged that Roberts and Mahil each used "abusive and offensive language and that racial discrimination and/or racial stereotyping motivated this".

The three police officers have denied the allegations.

The IPCC spokesperson told The Guardian: "The... investigation into a complaint made by Edric Kennedy-Macfoy relating to his arrest by MPS officers is complete. We have shared our findings with the MPS professional standards department and Mr Kennedy-Macfoy's solicitors.

"Three MPS officers are now facing gross misconduct hearings and as such it would be inappropriate to comment on the findings of the investigation."

Talking about the disciplinary proceedings – scheduled for three weeks – Kennedy-Macfoy said, "I can only hope and pray that the truth finally prevails and that justice is now done. After everything I've been through I find it very difficult to call on the police for assistance at a time of need. Racism in the police is something I've seen and suffered throughout my life. It's a disease that can only be cured by police forces rooting it out from within."