A POLICEMAN has had his appeal against a conviction for racially aggravated abuse dismissed. PC Mark Tuffey, 45, was based at Wimbledon police station until his suspension last year.

He had been reported by four colleagues who overheard him using racially aggravated terms in Tooting Bec Road, Tooting, on August 31, 2005.

PC Tuffey was convicted in May and resigned when an appeal at Southwark Crown Court failed on Friday last week.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) supervised the investigation by the Met into the allegations against the constable. IPCC Commissioner Nicola Williams said: "The dismissal of Mark Tuffey's appeal and his subsequent resignation sends out the clear message that racist behaviour in the police service will not be tolerated

"Cases such as this help to ensure that the public receives the exceptionally high standards from the police which they rightly expect."