Last month, police in the south London borough of Croydon were accused of racial profiling in clubs, forcing venues to stop playing black music styles like dancehall and bashment. Roy Seda, owner of Dice Bar, alleged that police had told him the music was linked to crime and disorder, and that he’d be punished for refusing the ban.

While the police have repeatedly denied the accusations, minutes from the police force uncovered by the Croydon Advertiser at the time included a reference to a ban on “bashman or John Paul” (referring to ‘bashment’ and ‘Sean Paul’) and claimed that Dice Bar was “not adhering to the music policy”.

Now, the Advertiser has released an audio recording that appears to confirm that the police put pressure on Seda, as Thump reports. In the clip, Sgt Michael Emery is heard trying to enforce his music policy, while also insisting that the venue should not be playing drum & bass. “You were told about this before Christmas,” the voice says. “Why has it taken until now to decide now that you want to change the music?”

The Metropolitan Police can’t enforce a ban on specific music styles without the approval of the licensing board, which in this instance they didn’t seek.

Listen to the recording below and head over to the Croydon Advertiser to read more about the story.