Student police officer commits suicide after bullying and harrassment at work: Parents demand probe

By A Staff Reporter

MANCHESTER March 29: A student police officer took his own life following “bullying and institutional racism” from colleagues, his family has claimed.

Anugrah Abraham, from Bury, went missing after having breakfast with his parents on March 3. He was found dead in woodland near to his home the next day. The 21-year old was a student at Leeds Trinity University and was training with West Yorkshire Police at the time of his death. Anu’s funeral took place on March 23, 2023.

But Anugrah’s parents Sonia Abraham and Amar Abraham said the treatment he received while on placement with the police force as part of his three-year apprenticeship degree caused him “severe stress and anxiety”. They said he had previously been a “carefree, happy young man”.

In a statement they said: “Our family want to make clear that we feel that the harm Anu experienced at the hands of the police, killed him.”

Anugrah, known by his family as Anu, was posted at Halifax Police Station from October 2022, and his family said he was initially excited. However, they said things ‘quickly turned sour’ within weeks of Anu starting the placement.

Anu was last seen around 3.30pm on March 3 by one of his best friends. He sent a text to a group chat with his friends at 5.30pm that day.

The family also raised concerns about the way they were treated by Greater Manchester Police after they reported Anu missing.

They allege they were treated differently by officers because of their race. When Anu’s car was found near woodland close to his home on the evening of 3 March, the family say police did not search the area as the woodland was “dangerous” and contained wild animals such as “hedgehogs”.

The family allege that police also refused to send a helicopter out to search for Anu because it was night time and ‘people were sleeping’. Anu’s body was found by a dog walker the next day.

His family say they were not allowed to see his body for three days, with police allegedly informing them that the mortuary was ‘closed at the weekend’.

Bury South MP Christian Wakeford raised Anu’s case in the House of Commons on Monday (March 27) and called for greater support for trainee officers.

The Labour MP said: “I met Anu’s family on Friday, and they wanted to make it clear that they feel the harm and lack of support that Anu experienced at the hands of the police killed him.

“The family now want Anu’s death and the miscommunication that followed to be reviewed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.”

West Yorkshire Police said it was taking the allegations seriously and an investigation was under way.

Responding, the Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “I place on record my deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of Mr Abraham.” She said all who serve deserved “support” and “credit for their bravery”. She indicated a minister or official would be willing to meet with Mr Wakeford and the Abraham family.

Anugrah’s family have now started a campaign to raise funds to meet costs towards legal battle. The statement from family read as below:

“On Friday 3rd March 2023, our son Anugrah Abraham, known to many as Anu, went missing. Anu was a 21 year old student police officer serving on a placement with West Yorkshire Police as part of his degree at Leeds Trinity University. After experiencing severe stress and anxiety due to bullying and institutional racism during his time in the force, Anu tragically took his own life. Our family want to make clear that we feel that the harm Anu experienced at the hands of the police, killed him.

“We are no longer prepared to continue to allow our children to be at the mercy of an institution that does not value their lives. We will not grieve silently and allow those that caused Anu to take such a devastating action to walk away without being held accountable.Our family are now at the beginning of a long and hard journey. We are asking for financial support for Anu’s funeral costs, our legal battle and for family campaigning going forward. Click to Donate If You Wish To Support The Campaign

A Statement was issued by Kids of Colour and Northern Police Monitoring Project on Behalf of Anugrah Abraham (Known as Anu) and His Family. Kids of Colour and Northern Police Monitoring Project is an independent grassroots organisation working to build community resistance against police violence, harassment and racism.

Content Warning: Please note that this statement includes reference to suicide, police abuse and racism, and devastatingly, Anu’s death, aged 21.

For Anu
We would like to begin by sharing with you who Anu was and is, and we thank his loved ones for trusting us with bringing him to you. Anu was honest, loving, smart and hard-working. He never raised his voice, and loved ones described him as a ‘gentle giant’. He was a deeply loving son, who would share emotions with his father, and dote over his mother, who if unwell, would make sure he brought her a beautiful breakfast in bed each morning. He shared a deep connection with his siblings, and was his sister’s best friend. He was kind, often the one there for his friends if they were in need or struggling. He was a generous soul, beautiful inside and out, and we thank his family for sharing with us such lovely photos of him, where his beaming smile was the first thing we were drawn to. Anu, we wish we could have known you, but are grateful to have been able to hear about you through family.

Anu was a 21 year old student police officer serving on a placement with West Yorkshire Police as part of his degree at Leeds Trinity University. After experiencing stress and anxiety due to bullying and institutional racism during his time in the force, Anu tragically took his own life on 3rd March 2023. On behalf of Anu’s family, we want to make clear that we feel that the harm Anu experienced at the hands of the police, killed him.

Anu’s Experiences as a Student Police Officer at West Yorkshire Police and Leeds Trinity University, Which Ultimately Led to His Untimely Death
Anu had completed his A Levels in triple science in 2019, and worked at Manchester Fort Nando’s whilst studying locally at Holy Cross College. In 2020, he took a year out, and later decided to begin the application process to become a police officer, through a student route which included a BA in Policing Practice from Leeds Trinity University. His family, despite their own misgivings, saw his initial passion for this journey and offered their fullest support.

The application process would be a long journey for Anu, with many different assessments. His Dad would drive him to each one, and the vetting process would take Anu 1.5 years. In July 2021, he found out that the first batch of students had been selected, but he had not. He continued to work, cycling from home in Bury to Manchester, and stayed patient like his Dad had told him to be. In October 2021, he received email confirmation that he had finally been selected.

Anu was due to attend CarGate Police College, part of West Yorkshire Police’s training centre. His parents helped him move closer to the college in Wakefield, and he stayed there for six months of training, before moving back home in 2022 due to being posted more locally at Halifax Police Station from October 2022. His family were proud of him and for a brief period, he was excited.

Harmful Experiences Begin
Within weeks of starting his journey at Halifax Police Station, Anu began to share his negative experiences and thoughts with his family, as well as writing them down. One of the first stories he recounted, while shaking, was attending a scene which involved an individual’s dead body floating in a river. Although Anu attended as a group of three officers, his Sergeant turned to him and instructed him to carry out a full body search of the dead body. In shock at the body, Anu vomited first, but his Sergeant insisted he ‘just do the search’. He was made, as a student officer, to conduct the search on the body alone, without teaching or peer support, and with no follow-up or debrief. Anu shared with his parents that he did not feel comfortable or supported.

Later, when his family spoke to someone who had left the force due to racism, it was made clear that this was not the procedure Anu should have been subjected to as a trainee officer. Anu would continue to be sent out alone to respond to cases that involved serious harm, which left him feeling vulnerable, isolated and afraid. He felt ill-equipped to be dealing with incidents on his own. This later resulted in him breaking down in tears in front of his Sergeant, (whom we will name Sergeant X) and another senior officer. Anu shared with his parents that Sergeant X had no emotions and did not care. Anu expressed that he did not know how to handle such experiences, and that instead of sharing best practice, Sergeant X would order Anu to explain what he did, then proceed to insult him and criticise him in front of the rest of the team. Anu’s family describe Sergeant X as a bully, who continued treating Anu in this way throughout his time at West Yorkshire Police.

Anu was not able to have proper lunch breaks, whatever food he would take to work he would later bring home, sharing that he was being sent from incident to incident and had no time to eat lunch – let alone take a tea or coffee break. As a result, he started losing weight. He had loved the gym, but stopped going; family describe him as going from being a carefree, happy young man, to becoming ever more weighed down by the pressure of his workplace.

Anu would continue to ask for support, but his needs would not be met physically or mentally by West Yorkshire Police. For example, when Anu hurt his back at work, he approached police for medical support, but they said he could only have physio. As he awaited an MRI via the NHS, he was prescribed naproxen and co-codamol by his own GP to help him with the pain, and to ensure he could continue going to work. He was scared of taking sick leave due to his fear of being sacked. His back pain continued and was further aggravated as he continued to carry out his police duties.

Anu told Sergeant X and others in the team that he was not coping, and that as a student officer he did not want to go out on assignments alone. As a result of sharing these feelings, he was put on a management plan, which made him feel like a failure. Anu continued to be given more work than he could handle. As he would sit completing casework with members of the public, he would receive calls from Sergeant X demanding to know why he was still there and pressuring him to move on to the next case. Every time Anu came to the station, he felt like everyone stopped talking. Allegedly, other student trainees were also scared of Sergeant X, but others were too afraid to say anything.

Anu would also share with Sergeant X and his personal tutor at Leeds Trinity that he had had suicidal thoughts. This met with no consideration, extra support or reasonable adjustment. He was told instead that if he was not up to the job, he could transfer to an alternative role, but that he would no longer be able to continue with his degree course. This was not something Anu was prepared to do and his personal tutor at university agreed with him. Anu felt cornered. His Dad encouraged Anu to leave the force and look for new work. Some friends suggested a transfer, but Anu felt that the way he was being treated was not his fault, so why should he have to leave?

As early as November 2022, just 4 weeks after starting his first student placement with WYP, Anu approached his union, the Police Federation of England and Wales. He had shared all his experiences with his personal tutor at Leeds Trinity too, including the bullying he experienced from Sergeant X, and how scared he was of him. Anu was also feeling the pressure of university assignments on top of his negative treatment at the force, and the union was recommended to him to provide support with this.

The union would later offer counselling sessions, but by this point, Anu’s work-related anxiety and stress was such that he had started forgetting things. When he forgot to go to his third counselling session, his support was abruptly discontinued. However, Anu’s negative treatment at work continued. On the 24th December 2022, Anu would arrive 3 minutes late to a quiet shift. Without waiting for any explanation, Sergeant X shouted at him in front of everyone.

Anu’s Final Months
In 2023, Anu started to experience traumatic nightmares. He would come to his parents room at 3am, and in the morning he would share how he had experienced sleep paralysis during the nightmare where he could not move as Sergeant X advanced towards him from a corner of the room, climbed onto his chest and strangled him. Anu shared that he felt like he couldn’t breathe, he really felt it was real, and was in serious distress. His Dad started sleeping with him at night and cuddling him to help him sleep. Anu would also go and stay in his sister’s room, who was his closest friend.

On the 19th January 2023, Anu had a 1.5 hour phone call with his university personal tutor to discuss his experiences. Anu shared that he had been told good officers like him were needed, especially those from Asian backgrounds. Yet Anu told his tutor that he was not made to feel that he was a valued member of his team. There was no support or recognition of the race-related factors which confronted him as a daily part of his work in a mainly White team and community environment.

At the end of February, Anu would go on to take two weeks leave, and was feeling happier as a result of this break. He went away with his best friends, who said Anu was really happy during this fortnight. They were not worried at that time, but did share that Anu kept talking about how tired he was.
Anu’s leave would come to an end, and he would end his life the day before he was due to return to work.

Anu’s Death
On behalf of Anu’s family, we want to make clear that while Anu ended his life on Friday the 3rd of March 2023, his family feel strongly that the harm he experienced because of the police, killed him.

On the morning of Friday 3rd March 2023, Anu had breakfast with his parents. His Mum asked if he was okay, and the stress and worry of going back to work the next day was clear. His Mum gave him a big hug, and Anu said he would wait up for her when she finished her night shift. Anu then continued to look for different jobs and apprenticeships for the rest of the morning with his Dad.

One of Anu’s best friends was the last person to see Anu. He was out running and saw Anu in his car near some local woodlands at around 3:30pm. His friend later texted asking what he was doing, and Anu would respond ‘working, working, working’. At around 5:30pm, Anu would send his last message, some emojis, in a group chat with friends.

Anu’s family would later report Anu missing to Greater Manchester Police. His family shared that the way they were treated, and how they were written off, made them think the police just thought of them as ‘dumb P***s’.

On the night Anu went missing, Anu’s dad went with a GMP officer to search for Anu’s car, which was found near the woodlands. However a police search party did not attend the site for another 2 hours. Nothing was put on West Yorkshire or Greater Manchester Police’s social media channels about a missing person, even though a young student officer in attendance had taken details with the express purpose of sharing these on social media.

Anu’s family were not allowed on the scene, and they continued to ask the police whether a helicopter would be sent out to search for him, but this was repeatedly put off. Anu’s phone (which was found on him when he died) would continue to give live location updates around the area, which his family point to as evidence that he was alive, and could have been saved. Instead, his family were told that the police would not be able to search for him that night due to the woodlands being dangerous, and there being wild animals in the woodlands, such as ‘hedgehogs’.

Evidence would be taken from Anu’s car, and his home, including his diaries about his experiences. Anu’s family felt like Anu was being criminalised. Three separate searches were carried out of Anu’s bedroom at the family house, even after the family were told that a body matching their son’s description had been found. Ultimately, it was a dog walker, and not the police, who found Anu’s body in the early morning of March 4th, 2023.

Anu’s family would be informed of his death, but were not allowed to see Anu for three days. Throughout this time, they were left in agony after being told that their son had died, but left unable to see that truth for themselves. They were told by police that ‘as it was the weekend, the mortuary was closed to the public’.

The Aftermath
Anu’s family and friends are understandably broken. They feel their son’s life was taken by a police force that continued to tear him down, treatment they cannot detach from his experience as a racialised officer. Anu was taken on as an alleged value. As an Asian officer, he would benefit West Yorkshire Police in bringing ‘diversity’ to the workforce. However, there was no support for the bullying and harassment that went on, and certainly no recognition of how institutional racism would shape his experience, and how it would allow harm to continue. While Sergeant X was the perpetrator of this violence, Anu’s family want to make clear that the fight they are taking on in Anu’s death is about the institution(s) of policing, and the complicity of universities attached to such degrees.

Since Anu’s death, the police have done what we so often see them do in police-connected killings: damage control. A senior officer has continued to ring Anu’s family, trying different family members when one does not answer. The officer has continued to state they want to come to pay their respects. Despite sharing their uncertainty and desire to be left alone, they were sent an insensitive letter in the post by the police that acted as more of a timestamped piece of evidence to show they have reached out, and routinely offered their condolences.

Other student officers shared their desire to come and visit, which Anu’s family were happy with, given these were Anu’s peers who were a similar age to him, but this quickly went quiet, before shifting into a more official police visit. The family have received no contact from Leeds Trinity University.

We Demand:
On the 14th March 2023, the Independent Office for Police Conduct informed Anu’s family that their complaint against West Yorkshire Police – which relates to the mistreatment that led to Anu’s death – would be subject to local investigation by the force itself. This is far from independence, as is often the case.

Key Demand: Anu’s family demand that the investigation into West Yorkshire Police is conducted by the IOPC, not the force itself. The IOPC have stated that they ‘do not consider an investigation to be necessary’ into GMP.

We ask those reading to share the story of Anu’s life and death, and show solidarity to Anu’s family in their darkest moments, and support them through their grief and rage. Anu’s family are also asking for financial support for Anu’s funeral costs, and for family campaigning going forward. If you are able, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/1dec09fa. They want to fight for justice for Anu, and to ensure nobody else is subjected to such horrific mistreatment by the police. In the meantime, we will continue to support Anu’s family and loved ones.