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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Susie Beever

Black communities are 'over-policed and under-protected' by 'racist' Met Police

Black Londoners are over-policed despite being statistically more likely to be victims of crime, a report into the Met Police has found.

The Casey Review claimed that not enough is being done to protect Black communities and people of colour, who are far more likely to fall victim to violence and at least twice as likely to be killed by another person.

It comes as the report published on Tuesday made a string of damning verdicts about the country's biggest police force, which it said was institutionally racist, homophobic and sexist.

The report, undertaken by Baroness Louise Casey, was commissioned in light of the murder of Sarah Everard in 2021, who was raped and murdered by serving officer Wayne Couzens.

Baroness Louise Casey said Black Londoners were far more likely to be victims of violence, domestic abuse and to be reported missing (Getty Images)

Since Ms Everard's murder, several revelations have been made about the Met's culture of misogyny and racism, including the jailing of former armed officer and rapist David Carrick.

Baroness Casey said the force should be disbanded and dissolved unless fundamental changes are made to banish its "rotten" culture in the next five years.

Crime figures compiled by the Met and 2021's Census show that, since January 2020, Black people in London were 70% more likely to report being a victim of violence than white people.

The statistics, however, are even more disproportionate the more serious the level of violence.

Black people were nearly twice as likely to report being raped, 66% more likely to report domestic abuse, 167% more likely to be reported missing, and - most recently - nearly six times more likely to be murdered.

Hate crime figures showed Black Londoners were 2.5 times more likely to report being a victim, while Asian people were nearly twice as likely (87%).

Baroness Casey's report however said people of colour were also less likely to report being victims of crime due to low levels of trust in the police, meaning the real figures are likely to be far worse.

The report said: "Despite being subjected to substantially higher levels of policing in London, Black Londoners remain considerably more likely to be the victims of several serious and violent crimes than White Londoners.

"This leads to the view that London’s communities of colour are both over-policed and under-protected.

"Recorded crime only tells us part of the story of victimisation, as both trust and confidence in the police service will inform a decision to report a crime."

Do you think the Met Police should be disbanded? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.

The Casey report follows 22 years after the McPherson report in 2001, commissioned after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which also concluded the force was institutionally racist.

It also highlighted recent instances of sickening racism within the force, including that officers at Charing Cross police station had used WhatsApp to joke about killing Black children, which prompted the resignation of former Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.

Current Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described Baroness Casey's findings as "deeply saddening" saying it "must act as a catalyst for police reform".

Sir Mark, who took over from Dame Cressida in September, refused to accept that the force was institutionally racist, homophobic, and misogynistic.

"We have let people down. I am deeply sorry," he added.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he accepted the findings of the report that the Met was institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic.

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