IN the past it was always one person's word against another. It is sad then that it took a TV documentary to expose the elements of truth about life in a North West police force.

Greater Manchester Deputy Chief Constable Alan Green might well be 'ashamed' of 'institutional racism' in his force. He admits more needs to be done. But it seems the force needs to look at how these issues are going unnoticed for weeks at the training centre.

If this is how potential officers are behaving at the training stage, one must ask how others who have been through the same centre are acting in our streets and in our communities.

While the overt racist nature of some of the officers was disgusting, the manner in which these comments were laughed off and at times encouraged was even more chilling. For instance at one stage the training officer breaks some 'good news' to his class, when he joyfully states that the Asian officer won't be coming back.

When fellow members don't challenge racist comments and attitudes it allows the perpetrators to simply believe it is OK as long as 'the Asian' didn't hear it.

It's all very well promoting Asian faces in recruitment drives but how about rooting out the racists from within the ranks first.

Nobody wants to work in a two-faced atmosphere where fellow workers are happy face-to-face but change as soon as the back is turned because of the colour of a person's skin. This is one of the major challenges the police force faces. How do you know who is racist and who is not? It is, in truth, impossible to know.

There should no doubt be more Asian police officers. As there should in other public bodies because these services directly affect all communities.

This incident should in no way affect how the police force operates in tackling suspected criminals.

But it should act as a wake up call for senior officers to make a change within their forces.

Complaints of racism in the force need to be taken far more seriously. Not at the lower levels but dealt with by those at the top who are just as guilty for letting these incidents go with a simple slap on the wrist, as in the past.

It is sad such incidents probably go unnoticed within Greater Manchester Police, a force which has tried so hard to change its image in the past.

Enough of the image revamps and broken promises, it needs more of a constructive investigation that sees racism tackled at all levels within the service.