West Midlands Police: Racist police on duty every day, ex-inspector says

She claimed Mr Guildford said “I’ve just learned you are an autistic person” and subsequently refused to meet with her without a “police friend”.

“It is the most minimising thing that anyone had said to me,” she added.

As a result of her behaviour in this meeting, Mr Guildford suggested that at subsequent meetings she should bring a fellow employee to support her, which would not be unusual in the circumstances.

WMP said Ms Bano was not in uniform at the meeting and had not met Mr Guildford beforehand, and he did not expect her to be there so did not know who she was.

The force claimed Mr Guildford had explained there was no need for her to attend the meeting and she then shouted at him, told him he had no right to ask her to leave and that his office was West Midlands Police property, that he was a bully, and had made a personally insulting remark.

The police say that because of how Mr Guildford said she behaved and, having been told she had autism, he suggested at subsequent meetings she brought a fellow member of staff with her for support.

Tribunal documents show Mr Guildford later submitted a complaint against Ms Bano, claiming she had been “hostile and disrespectful”.

She remained under investigation for eight months before investigators found there was no case to answer, due to medical grounds.

The force also said there was a two-month delay in obtaining a statement from the officer Ms Bano had been supporting, but the investigation was, nevertheless, reasonably prompt.