West Mids cops warned over calling vegetarian colleagues 'turnips'

The force said it could be considered discriminatory



West Midlands Police officers have been warned that calling vegetarian colleagues "turnips" could constitute discrimination, The Mirror reports. Some officers have also reportedly called vegetarian officers "veg heads" and "mushroom heads" and the force said the jibes could be considered offensive.

But a source said: "Officers couldn’t believe it.

"It was only meant as a laugh, not at all as an insult. In fact, quite a few officers were asking advice on cutting down on meat and eating more healthily. They made a meal out of it when it wasn’t an issue at all."

West Midlands Police said all staff must uphold the highest standards, adding: “Inappropriate behaviour inside and outside the force will not be tolerated." It follows a ban from the force last November on calling shorter constables "laptops", meaning "tiny PCs".

In September, the force was mocked for letting a rookie cop take his pet snail to work so he could pet it to calm his nerves. And last March, Chief Constable Sir David Thompson had to defend his "rigorous" training scheme after claims some rookies were scared by flashing blue lights.

I bet you can't call them woodentops these days either.

How do these offended people stand up? It's about time they grew a spine.

I read an article about 'puppy' walking yesterday. I bet that's another expression that's no longer used.

'Puppy' walking is where an experienced officer takes a novice officer under their wing to show them how things work.