Officers are appealing for information two men suffered racial harassment at a bus station.
An off-duty police officer was at the Heworth bus interchange, Gateshead, at roughly 5.50pm on September 15, when a man hurled racist abuse at two other men as they boarded the number 4 bus for Washington.
The off-duty officer spoke with people in the area at the time but the victims and any potential suspects are thought to have boarded the bus before they were spoken with.