The country’s most senior police officer was accused yesterday of excluding black and Asian detectives in favour of a “golden circle” of white officers.

Commander Shabir Hussain claimed that he was passed over for promotion by Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, because “my face did not fit and did not fit because I am not white”.

He told an employment tribunal being held in Stratford, East London, that Sir Ian used his “very significant influence” over the selection process of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) to earmark his chosen officers for promotion.

Commander Hussain said that he was rejected an “unprecedented” four times for promotion to deputy assistant commissioner while Sir Ian’s “favourite sons and daughters” succeeded after a maximum of two attempts.

His claims against the beleaguered police chief are the latest blow against Scotland Yard, which was branded as institutionally racist in the aftermath of the Stephen Lawrence murder.

This month Sergeant Gurpal Virdi, a Sikh detective, was awarded £70,400 in damages after a tribunal ruled that he had been passed over for promotion because he had brought race discrimination claims against the Metropolitan Police Service.

Commander Hussain, 45, said that he was ignored for promotion even when he was more experienced and better qualified than other candidates. He is suing the Metropolitan Police, the MPA and the chairman, Len Duvall, for race discrimination and unlawful deduction of wages.

“Promotion to the highest ranks of the Metropolitan Police Service appears to operate by the earmarking of a ‘golden circle’ of preferred candidates,” Commander Hussain told the employment tribunal. “These are groomed for promotion by the Commissioner [and] receive preferential treatment from the MPA appointments panels.”

Between 2003 and 2007, Commander Hussain applied four times to become a deputy assistant commissioner but was eventually appointed director of training at Hendon, a position that he described as a “career graveyard”.

“I believe that I was excluded because my face did not fit and that my face did not fit because I am not white,” he said. “It is unprecendented for an officer to have four failed applications for promotion from commander to deputy assistant commissioner.”

Commander Hussain, who was once tipped to become Britain’s first Asian chief constable, joined the Met as a constable in 1983 and rose quickly through the force’s accelerated promotion scheme to become Scotland Yard’s first Asian superintendent in 1999. In 2001 he received the highest grading after completing the Strategic Command Course at the police staff college at Bramshill.

He told the tribunal: “I am the only person from my 2001 course with a Grade 1 to remain at the rank of commander. The rest, who are white, have now reached the rank of chief constable.”

In 2006 Commander Hussain complained to Britain’s most senior Muslim police officer, Tarique Ghaffur, an assistant commissioner, about his failed applications. He said that Assistant Commissioner Ghaffur told him that his own efforts to win promotion had been thwarted by Sir Ian and Mr Duvall. “He told me that he had been the most qualified officer for the post of deputy commissioner in 2005 but that Ian Blair had prevented his promotion,” Commander Hussain said. “He added that Len Duvall had urged Ian Blair to move him because of statements he [Ghaffur] had made about racial issues.”

Commander Hussain said he was not given a bonus in 2006 and that six out of the sixteen eligible officers who were awarded bonuses were all white.

Under cross-examination, Commander Hussain accepted that he already held a senior position.

The Metropolitan Police and Mr Duvall deny the claims and have previously insisted that the promotion system is “robust, transparent and scrupulously fair”.

The hearing continues.

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