Police Admit They Are 'Ashamed' Of Racism - And Pledge New Zero Tolerance

Chief constables have admitted they were "ashamed" of continuing racism in policing - as they launched an action plan to stamp it out.

They promised zero tolerance in the police service and mandatory training for all officers on racism and black history.

They also aim to boost black police recruitment and retention and improve support for black victims of crime.

The move comes nearly 25 years after Lord Macpherson's report into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence labelled the Metropolitan Police, the biggest force in the country, "institutionally racist" and published a blueprint to end police racism.

In a foreword to the new plan, the chief constables accepted change had been too slow and wrote:

"We accept that policing still contains racism, discrimination and bias.

"We are ashamed of those truths, we apologise for them and we are determined to change them.

"We have much to do to secure the confidence of black people, including our own staff, and improve their experience of policing - and we will."

The plan by the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing was a response to anti-racism rallies across Britain after the murder of black man George Floyd by a white policeman in the US two years ago this week.

Protesters' claims of police discrimination in the UK were backed by statistics which showed that black people were nine times more likely than white to be stopped and searched and five times more likely to have force used on them.

Sir Dave Thompson, West Midlands chief constable, said:

"We absolutely accept that many people think we are institutionally racist. We know that through the engagement we've done and that's the reality of where we are.

"What this plan is about is us saying 'ok our job, through this action and through our work, is to demonstrably show people we are not institutionally racist'."

Series of scandals

The plan will be implemented nationally later this year after inviting comments from experts and the public.

It follows a series of scandals in which police officers from several forces were found to have behaved in a racist way against black people.

Chief constables denied the plan was a "woke" exercise. "How can it be woke to be more legitimate and more effective in how we stop and search people?" asked Tyrone Joyce, a temporary deputy chief constable and the UK's highest ranking black officer.

"And how can it be woke if all of that results in people feeling safer?"

The plan will be scrutinised by an independent panel led by barrister Abimbola Johnson who does believe the police service is institutionally racist and that chief constables should acknowledge that.

'It will be a challenge'

Ms Johnson said:

"The job of chief constables is always difficult, dealing with aspects like racism is always very emotionally charged. People will have a negative reaction to the word - sometimes more to the word than racism itself - so there are aspects that will need to be navigated by them.

"They need to work closely with Police and Crime Commissioners, with members of the communities and anti-racism groups.

"It will be a challenge and they will need to bring people along with them on the journey."

Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, said he hoped a return to neighbourhood policing would be part of the plan, so that white officers could get to know communities with which they would otherwise have no regular contact.

He said: "The plan must be more than a document which ticks boxes. We want, and we demand, real, lasting change."

Sussex Police commits to the national Plan of Action on Inclusion and Race

Sussex Police has today (May 24) welcomed the publication by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing of a national Plan of Action on Inclusion and Race.

Deputy Chief Constable Julia Chapman comments:

“We fully commit to the national Plan of Action on Inclusion and Race and welcome publication of the plan today, marking the start of a national commitment to build an actively anti-racist police service which reflects and protects all communities.

“While much has been done by policing to address racism in the police and society, with policing now being more inclusive, more diverse, and more reflective of our communities than ever before, it is our view that policing does still contain racism, discrimination, and bias. Whether that’s in the behaviours of some officers and staff, or in the policies and procedures we operate.

“It’s important to understand that we are not characterising policing or saying all of our officers and staff are racist. Instead, we are saying that we recognise, alongside overt instances of racism which are unacceptable and must be tackled, that there are areas of policing where there is still a negative disproportionate impact on Black people and therefore, we, as Sussex Police, commit to being a Force which is anti-racist, will remove unconscious and conscious bias, and be one which people can trust, particularly those within the Black community.”

While the national plan was being developed, Sussex Police has designed a localised delivery plan which will be launched in June and seeks to address disparities both within the Black community and also other ethnically and culturally diverse communities so that the force better meets the needs of the people who live in Sussex.

Force Champion for Race and Inclusion, Superintendent Adam Hays, said:

“We have already taken steps as a force to address some of the disparities highlighted by the national plan as we recognise that without taking immediate steps to improve policies and procedures, public trust and confidence in policing is affected and our work to protect people from all backgrounds is less effective as a result.

“We aim to build on these steps taken so far, as it is not enough for us to say we are ‘not racist’, we must translate both the national plan and our local delivery plan into action and real tangible difference.”