A leading human rights organisation has urged the home secretary to ensure that the next Metropolitan Police commissioner is committed to rooting out racism within the force.
In a letter, seen by The Independent, the chief executive of Justice called on Priti Patel to see that the incoming top police officer is “equipped to recognise and to address” the entrenched injustices faced by black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
The organisation’s chief executive Fiona Rutherford, a barrister and former Ministry of Justice official, said “racism is an incontrovertible reality of our justice system” and must be addressed.
“It is evident that the actions of the Metropolitan Police have further eroded the trust of ethnic minority communities in London,” the document, which copied in the Mayor of London, read.
“This is clear from numerous instances over the past five years, such as the ever-rising and disproportionate use of stop and search powers (especially against black men), the bigoted content of text messages sent by serving police officers, and the appalling treatment of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, two murdered black women ‘dehumanised’ when officers shared photos of them.
“It is only action that will demonstrate the necessary commitment to meeting the legitimate expectations of London’s ethnic minority communities.”
The letter further draws attention to the Justice report Tackling Racial Disparity: Children and the Youth Justice System published in 2021, and its recommendations aimed at removing racial bias within the youth justice system in particular.
Children from ethnic minorities make up 18 per cent of the 10 to 17 year old population and yet 52 per cent of the same age group in custody are from ethnic minorities.
Young people from ethnic minorities are also less likely to be diverted away from the criminal justice system and are, instead, more likely to be stopped and searched, remanded in custody, and subsequently receive a custodial sentence.
“It is disappointing that, 23 years on from the findings of Sir William MacPherson that Stephen Lawrence’s murder had been ‘marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership’, the Metropolitan Police, and its culture, have not made progress,” Ms Rutherford, said.
“We call on the home secretary to ensure that the new commissioner is equipped to take these deep structural issues seriously.
“London’s communities impacted by discriminatory policing practices deserve better.”
The report’s 45 positive and practical recommendations include suspending further section 60 stops and searches pending a Home Office review and mandating that police turn on their body worn video cameras before every stop and search so that improper conduct is prevented or caught.
The organisation also recommends abolishing the Gangs Violence Matrix.
Last month, The Independent revealed that the Metropolitan Police is facing legal action over the racially disproportionate covert database as another human rights organisation, Liberty, prepares to take them to court for “targeting black men”.
The Home Office and Mayor of London have been approached for comment.
