Black farmer quizzed by police THREE times on suspicion of stealing food from his own field

Daily Mail 23rd September 2008

As a farmer, David Mwanaka believes he is unusual  -  one of only two black ones in the whole of Britain.

In fact, he is such a rare sight that three times in five days he found himself being questioned by police who accused him of stealing crops.

On one occasion, he claimed, four patrol cars turned up at the farm where he rents land to grow maize, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and sweetcorn.

He said yesterday that he had been reported by people 'who are not used to seeing a black man working in a farmer's field'.

Mr Mwanaka, 42, who is originally from Zimbabwe, was with his wife Brenda and another worker when police first approached him on the morning of Saturday, September 13, as he picked maize.

He said he was questioned for half an hour and searched. Officers also checked his van.

He had to call the white farmer from whom he rents his field in Rothley, Leicestershire, before police were finally satisfied that he wasn't stealing food.

'They asked me what I was doing and I told them I was cropping my maize,' he said. 'They said they couldn't believe me so they asked me for my ID and they did some checks on my vehicle.

'Then I had to call the local farmer, from whom I rent the field, to come and help me with the situation. He was able to tell them who I was and explain that I was renting the field from him. 

Police interest: Mr Mwanaka was visited by police three times in a week after 'ignorant' neighbours thought he was stealing crops

Then on Monday the same thing happened again. Some officers came over again and said, "We've got a report that you are stealing maize".

'I had to go over the whole thing all over again, proving my ID and convincing them I was genuine.

'Then on Wednesday I was in the field when I heard a lady police officer saying, "Hello, hello" so I went over to her and she said she was looking for a thief.

'There were four police cars there, I couldn't believe it. I explained to the officer that I wasn't stealing maize, that I was a farmer, but I had to go over the same process all over again to prove that I was telling them the truth.

Smallholder: The farmer rents his fields near Rothley, Leicestershire, from a white farmer. He also grows crops in north London

'It was a waste of time on my side and for the police. They should have shared the information about this and communicated better.'

Mr Mwanaka, who supplies white sweetcorn to Sainsbury's stores, added: 'The police said the people who reported me had said there was a black man stealing food from a farmer's field.'

The farmer, who commutes to his crops from his home in Basildon, Essex, was a journalist in his home country but moved to Britain in 1991, initially to study. He said he was not offended by the incidents, which are the first time in the five years that he has rented the land that he has encountered trouble.

He added: 'If it was the same person calling the police each time, that would be racist. The police haven't told me who has been making the reports, but I suspect people have just become concerned because they are not used to seeing a black man in this area.'

A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said they had a duty to respond to every call made by the public reporting a suspected crime. He added: 'On all occasions, officers attended the scene and they were satisfied there were no suspicious circumstances.'

The National Farmers Union said it did not keep statistics on black farmers.

The best-known black farmer in Britain  -  thought to be the only one other than Mr Mwanaka  -  is Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, 50.

He farms in Devon and sells food such as sausages under the brand name The Black Farmer.