Police probe claims that officer is BNP member

A police force today started an investigation "as a matter of urgency" into claims that a serving officer is a member of the British National Party.

The allegations emerged after the publication of a list of BNP supporters on an internet blog.

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Meanwhile the party leader Nick Griffin said threatened court action. He said: "It was entirely wrongly used without authority by a very small group of previous party members who were expelled late last year who then passed it on, to who we simply don't know.

"All we can say is that if we find out who it was and they are one of those covered by the High Court injunction, then they are going to prison."

Mr Griffin claimed that members had received threatening calls as a result of the list's publication - calls he said were part of an "established dirty tricks campaign" from the Labour Party.

Merseyside police confirmed today that they have launched a probe after allegations were made against a male officer.

A spokesman said: "We are very clear - membership of the British National Party is totally incompatible with the duties and values of the police service and Merseyside Police. We will not accept a police officer or police staff being a member of BNP.

"Meanwhile, as a matter of urgency, we have immediately started an investigation into all aspects of this case. We will be keeping an open mind until all of the facts have been established."

The matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Officers are banned from joining or promoting the BNP because it would damage race relations, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers.

The list of more than 12,000 names includes addresses, contact details and some members' jobs.

Five are listed as Reverends, one as a prison officer and a number as former police officers.

The information has been taken down from the site where it was originally posted, but remains available on a number of websites.

Journalist Pete Marshall, who has posted links to the list on his website, said: "I put it up to keep it in circulation as I believe that people are entitled to know the details of their neighbours who may be members of this organisation. I would do the same with any other political group that threatens freedom in the way that the BNP do.

"I believe that people should be free to hold whatever strange views they want and equally we should be free to treat them accordingly. Personally, I would not employ anybody who was a member of this organisation and don't see why my tax should be paying to employ them either.

"I certainly have no confidence in police officers who are members of the BNP any more than I would have if they were members of the IRA."

The list is just over a year old, according to BNP leader Nick Griffin, who initially blamed the leak on former BNP staff members who have now been sacked.

But earlier today BNP spokesman Simon Darby said: "It is looking increasingly likely that this is the work of Labour Party supporters. If they have not protected their IP (internet service provider address) properly, there will be an electronic trail leading back to the culprit."

The BNP carries out some of its administration in Welshpool, and North Wales police pledged to investigate any information breach "in the usual robust manner".

A spokesman for the Prison Service refused to reveal whether an employee is under investigation.

He said: "The Prison Service is very clear on this issue - we take allegations of racism very seriously and have a zero tolerance policy of those who hold racist views.

"When being recruited externally or applying for transfer or promotion, candidates are asked to state categorically that they do not belong to the BNP, National Front or Combat 18, or any other group or organisation promoting racism.

"Membership of such organisations is entirely incompatible with working in the Prison Service and, if it is confirmed that a member of staff belongs to one of them, they will be subject to our disciplinary procedures.

"We have dismissed a number of staff for their actions in the past, and were the first public sector employer to ban staff from being members of racist organisations.

"If we receive information indicating that a Prison Service employee is a member of a proscribed organisation, these claims would be investigated, and the appropriate action taken."

In April this year the BNP brought an injunction at the High Court in Manchester against five people to stop them publishing a list of party members.

They were ordered by the court to destroy all records of the information that they held.