The mother of two sisters murdered in a London park has accused the Metropolitan Police of “institutional racism and misogyny” and called for “bad apple” officers to be sacked.
Bibaa Henry, 27, and Nicole Smallman, 46, were stabbed to death in the early hours of 6 June 2020 after spending an evening celebrating the older sister's 46th birthday at Fryent Park, in Wembley.
Two officers were later jailed for taking photos of the murdered sisters at the crime scene, while a third was sacked for using a racial slur in messages about those photographs.
On the two-year anniversary of their killing, their mother Mina Smallman released a statement alongside Dawn Butler, the Labour MP for Brent Central, calling for measures to tackle “repeated instances of misconduct” by some Metropolitan Police officers.
The statement added: “The repeated incidents of unacceptable and at times criminal behaviour, as well as the large number of allegations of sexual misconduct, is extremely concerning.
“The Met have a well-developed action plan to rebuild faith in their police service. This must include the dismissal of ‘bad apple’ police officers.
“Finally, we believe that the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner must acknowledge the institutional racism and misogyny that still exists within the service. If we cannot admit these problems exist, how can we possibly hope to solve them?”
The pair also demanded “institutional reforms” to properly safeguard women and girls from danger and ensure “tragedies like this will never happen again”.
The Met’s new commissioner, who has yet to be appointed following the resignation of Dame Cressida Dick in February, must make sure the force is “as diverse as the public it seeks to serve”, the statement said, adding this was needed in order for trust to be restored among Londoners.
Ms Smallman, who is the Church of England’s first female archdeacon of black and minority ethnic descent, also asked for a meeting with the Home Secretary over how the commissioner is appointed.
“While we recognise that the process is well underway to appoint the new commissioner, we are clear that in future this new position cannot be chosen solely by the home secretary or prime minister,” the statement said.
“In future, the commissioner must be chosen by Londoners as a whole – either directly or via their elected representatives. It is only fair and correct that Londoners have a say in who leads the service which seeks to protect and serve the people.”
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Bas Javid admitted earlier this year that racism was a problem in the country’s largest force.
Ms Smallman’s statement comes after the two Met Police officers who took photos of the murdered sisters at a crime scene lost appeals against their prison sentences last month.
Deniz Jaffer, now 48, and Jamie Lewis, now 33, were each given jail terms of two years and nine months at a hearing at the Old Bailey in December, after pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office.
Judge Lucraft said the men had not only captured the selfies, but had also made “distasteful” remarks about the victims on WhatsApp.
Danyal Hussein, who was 18 when the killing took place, was found guilty of the sisters’ murder at the Old Bailey last July.
Last Autumn, Ms Smallman said the Met Police’s apology to her “won’t cut it” as she warned a police inspector’s comments about her daughters indicate “racial profiling, misogyny or classism”.
She fiercely condemned the Met Police’s handling of the case after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) discovered the police response to the family in the immediate aftermath of the sisters’ disappearance was “unacceptable”.
Ms Smallman said at the time: “We’re not the only parties who suffered mental anguish at the hands of the Met Police’s incompetent, reprehensible and blatant disregard of agreed procedures regarding missing persons.
“It began with the call handler’s inappropriate assertions, mishandling the call, which led to the cancellation of the missing persons alert. The inspector on the second shift made erroneous assumptions about the whereabouts of our daughters.
“We’re also of the view that his unprofessional comments about Bibaa and Nicole’s picnic suggest racial profiling, misogyny or classism.”
She noted around 14 friends and family launched their own search, which led to Nicole’s boyfriend Adam Stone finding their bodies.
The sisters’ bodies were discovered two days after the incident was reported to police. While the IOPC found the family had been failed, no police officer is facing a disciplinary hearing.
