Tick-Tock, Rowley's on the Clock: Time’s Running Out for the Met

Author; Lee Jasper is a former Director for Policing for London, Senior Political Adviser to the Mayor of London, and Special Adviser to five former Home Secretaries, now Chair of the Alliance for Police Accountability (APA), 

Time's Up for Rowley: The Met Faces a Reckoning

As the pivotal March 2024 Casey Review Conference looms, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowleyfinds himself in a critical position. Baroness Louise Casey's five tests for police reform represent a make-or-break moment for the Metropolitan Police. Should Rowley fail to meet these benchmarks, he should resign. As Casey herself warned, the Met is "drinking in the last chance saloon", and failure would not only demand his resignation but would also lead to serious discussions on breaking up the Metropolitan Police Service to ensure transparency, accountability, and public trust.

The Five Casey Tests: Rowley’s Last Stand

The Baroness Casey Review, initiated after the tragic murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer, highlighted severe structural problems within the force. The five tests for reform provide Rowley with a final opportunity to demonstrate meaningful progress:

1. Leadership: Rowley must prove his leadership can instigate lasting systemic reform, from the top down.
2. Culture and Values: The toxic culture of misogyny, racism, and bullying in the Met needs dismantling, with new values deeply embedded across the force.
3. Diversity in Policing: Despite recruitment efforts, BAME officers represent just 10.5% of new recruits, while 9.9% of BAME officers are leaving the force. Essentially, for every ten BAME joiners, nine leave. This stagnation in diversifying the force underlines the Met’s failure to retain officers from ethnic minority backgrounds.
4. Accountability: The disproportionate handling of police misconduct, especially targeting Black officers, remains a significant issue. Black officers are nearly twice as likely to face misconduct investigations compared to their white colleagues (Home Office, 2024).
5. Public Trust: Restoring public confidence is paramount, and progress will be assessed at the March 2024 Casey Review Conference.

If Rowley fails to meet these tests, Baroness Casey has made it clear: he should step down. The APA concurs, as the community has already concluded that the Met has repeatedly failed Londoners, and nothing between now and March 2025 will change that without drastic reform.

London’s Black Communities Have Lost Patience

Baroness Casey’s five tests offer one final chance for reform, but many in London’s Black communities feel the moment for meaningful change has long passed. From institutional racism to a deeply ingrained toxic culture, Londoners have lost faith in the Met. If Rowley cannot deliver by March, his resignation will be a necessity, and the conversation must shift toward breaking up the Met to create more transparent, locally accountable policing structures.

This isn’t speculation—the community has already decided. They want radical change now, not another round of empty promises.

Truth and Reconciliation: An Essential Step

Any genuine reform process must include truth and reconciliation, as recommended by Baroness Casey. This process would address the long history of injustices experienced by Black and ethnic minority communities and help rebuild the trust needed to transform policing in London.

The APA is currently developing a community-driven response to this, ensuring the process is grounded in the lived experiences of those most affected by police failures. Baroness Casey has emphasised that the price of truth and reconciliation will be high, but without it, reform efforts will lack legitimacy. This is an essential component of any future reforms, and it cannot be ignored.

NBPA Boycott: The Alarm Bell Ringing

The National Black Police Association (NBPA) recently announced a boycott of BAME recruitment efforts, citing the toxic work environment and a lack of meaningful action on racial issues. Despite efforts to improve diversity, Black and ethnic minority officers continue to be disproportionately targeted by misconduct investigations, limiting their career progression.

This boycott is a clear indicator of the depth of dissatisfaction within the force, further underscoring the urgency for reform. If BAME officers don’t feel safe and supported in their workplace, how can the Met hope to recruit and retain a diverse workforce?

Sir Mark Rowley: A Commissioner on Borrowed Time?

Rowley's tenure has raised concerns, particularly regarding his appearances at Policy Exchange, a conservative think tank. His involvement with right-wing political agendas has drawn criticism, casting doubt on his ability to remain impartial. This is a level of politicisation not seen in the role since Sir Paul Condon.

Moreover, Rowley has avoided holding major meetings with London’s Black communities since his appointment, preferring to host carefully curated, small local events with hand-picked audiences—many of whom are linked to projects funded by the Met, the Mayor’s Office, or the Government. This has only deepened the sense of disconnect.

In contrast, the APA has refused funding from these sources to maintain our independence and credibility, a demand echoed by the communities we serve. Rowley's reluctance to engage meaningfully is indicative of how out of touch his leadership is with the real issues facing London’s Black and marginalised groups.

London Policing Board: Toothless Oversight

The London Policing Board, which meets four times a year, has proven ineffective in holding the Met accountable. Despite the inclusion of Black board members, they lack the resources or capacity to properly scrutinise the Commissioner and the force. This lack of real accountability only reinforces the need for structural reform.

Mayor Khan’s Delay on Global Black Thrive’s Report: A Missed Opportunity

A further example of the failure to confront difficult truths lies with Mayor Sadiq Khan and his delayed publication of the Global Black Thrive report on police accountability. This consultation, which was meant to assess police accountability in London, has been held back for over a year, reportedly because the Mayor was dissatisfied with the community’s critical feedback.

This delay has damaged the reputation of Global Black Thrive, an organisation respected for its work on race and mental health, and left participants in the consultation process without any conclusion. The refusal to publish this report symbolises a wider hesitation to confront uncomfortable realities and move forward with genuine reform.

Kaya Comer-Schwartz: A Glimmer of Hope?

The recent appointment of Kaya Comer-Schwartz as Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime has provided some hope. With a proven track record in transforming youth justice services and securing vital funding for survivors of violence against women and girls, she is well-positioned to effect change. The APA welcomes her appointment and believes she can play a critical role in shaping the future of policing in London.

However, her appointment may have come too late to deliver the meaningful change needed before March 2025. While her leadership offers potential, the scale of the crisis at the Met demands urgent action.

Breaking Up the Met: Time for Radical Solutions

If the Met fails the Casey Review tests, it’s time to seriously consider breaking up the force. The Met is too large, bureaucratic, and resistant to reform. Smaller, locally accountable forces would allow for greater transparency and more meaningful community oversight. Decentralising the Met is not a radical step—it’s a necessary one to restore public trust.

Labour’s Responsibility: Ensure Casey Sees It Through

With Labour now in government, it is critical that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Policing Minister Diana Johnson ensure that Baroness Casey remains in place to finish the job she started. Rumours of her replacement are deeply concerning, as Casey enjoys overwhelming credibility among Londoners and the wider public.

Her roadmap is the key to transforming the Met, and removing her now would undermine public confidence and the entire reform process. Labour must resist any political temptation to disrupt this critical work.

Conclusion: The Clock is Ticking

Baroness Casey’s five tests provide a clear path for reform. But if Rowley fails, his resignation will be inevitable, and the conversation will turn to breaking up the Met. The APA believes this is the direction the community wants, and the clock is ticking for meaningful change.

Londoners deserve a police force that is accountable, transparent, and reflective of the communities it serves. If Rowley cannot deliver, it’s time to dismantle the Met and rebuild it for the future.

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Who is Lee Jasper?

For over 40 years, I have worked in police accountability and race relations, always guided by a deep commitment to serve my community. As a servant leader, I prioritise listening and learning from the most marginalised. I have held roles as Director for Policing for London, Senior Political Adviser to the Mayor of London, and Special Adviser to five Home Secretaries. Now, as a full-time strategic consultant, I continue to focus on critical issues affecting Black, Asian, and marginalised communities.

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References:

1. NBPA (2024). Recruitment and Retention Data. National Black Police Association.
2. Home Office (2024). Misconduct Rates and Police Accountability Data. UK Home Office Report.
3. Baroness Casey Review (2023). Metropolitan Police Review Findings. UK Government Publications.
4. Global Black Thrive (2024). Consultation Report on Police Accountability in London. Global Black Thrive Initiative.

White Race Riots: I don't know which is worse, the racism of our enemies or the silence of our friends.

As a British Black community, we anticipated that the white working class, once disillusioned by the false promises of Brexit, would direct their anger and frustration towards Muslims, Black people, asylum seekers—anyone but those truly responsible: the ruling elite and bankers. Unfortunately, as we've seen after a horrendous weekend of white race riots and please let call them what they are, race riots, some of our worst fears have been fully realised this weekend.

Trapped in a cost-of-living crisis, witnessing the degradation of public services the poorer areas of the UK have identified anyone assumed who is not a 20^th generational ‘White Anglo-Saxon Protestant’ (WASP) to be a part of the “British multiculturalism: problem. 

Led there over the last quarter of a century, by right-wing politicians in all parties and supported by sections of a hysterical right wing press, and a libertarian style Tory Government, Britain’s poorer communities and xenophobic press have enjoyed and indeed revelled in an old style, but all too common national conspiracy within western nations. They have systematically with their full chest vilified Islam and launched an ideological war on progressive values in a so called ’war on the woke.” 

Both here and in the US, we see the evidence of how white men seem to be having a collective nervous breakdown which I believe is a consequence of the realisation that demographic projections show the global birth rate of white people dropping catastrophically, whilst Black and Brown peoples and their nations are rising. Add to this the reality of inevitable decline of western economies whose GDP rates barely have a pulse and the continuing rise of the BRICS nations, and the rapid de-dollarisation of the global economy that is taking place, and you can see why they’re pissed. They can see the end coming. 

White billionaires have looked at their demographics, done the maths and are terrified by what they see. This is what the lurid nightmares of racists are made of and why we are living our lives subject to their worst racist imaginations, entrapped by the worst fears and lack of empathy of some white people. 

For those of the pointy hood disposition their most indelible fears can be summed up in the title of Public Enemy’s 1990’s seminal Hip Hop album “The Fear of a Black Planet.”  Wracked by fear some billionaire whites have set out to fund their survival which they see as being inextricably linked to maintaining a WASP nation and culture. Their impeding economic and political decline explains the increasingly hysterical nature to their xenophobic racism as they desperately seek to engineer another outcome.  

Whilst those that work on amplifying haltered are loud and obnoxious our friends and allies’ voices have been muted, some have in attempt to gain electoral popularity conceded to aspects of racism and have become utterly consumed by it. Once staunch anti-racist allies now engage in a largely cosmetic anti racism that is performative and ineffectual, whilst some have unforgivably accepted and therefore legitimised racist sentiment on immigration. 

It was Dr Martin Luther King Jnr who during the US civil rights struggle and lamenting the soft, cosmetic ant racism and lack of action from white liberals said,  

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Talking about friends, the past fourteen years, Labour’s concessions to this racist narrative have only served to normalise and legitimise these sentiments. 

The 2016 Brexit referendum catalysed this tectonic plate shift, transforming xenophobia and racism into perceived legitimate concerns of the white working class, and driven by a relentless and hostile media agenda. Labour’s willing compliance on issues of immigration, policing, and foreign aid created a fertile ground for the rise of the extreme right. We are now facing the consequences of politicians who chose to exploit racism for electoral gain, whose actions have led to a post Brexit society that is wracked with racial tensions and animus.

The complicity of centrists and liberals in this state of affairs isn’t always evident. However those with a keen eye will report that the UK has now adopted a form of organised racism and fascism reminiscent and modelled on the success of modern European continental fascism. It wont be lost on many that Britain left the EU and imported European style fascism. 

The left’s failure to robustly oppose racism has led us to our current predicament. Whilst the Labour movement and trade unions have done some great work in challenging racism and fascism in 2024 their anti-racism has become antiquated, compromised, cosmetic and ineffectual,  The lefts failure challenge austerity and to understand the importance of ensuring poorer communities were supported and educated about the nature of racism through political education means these communities were left angry that Labour had let them down locally and utterly vulnerable to racist exploitation by organised racists. 

The long lesson from history is that when political leaders legitimise racism for their own political or party benefit, the repercussions are inevitably disastrous.

And today we see that those who once demanded to "take back their country" and who told us this wasn’t at all racist, now seem to yearn for an increasingly homogeneously white Christian nation. 

Both Frage and Tommy Robinson are cowards really and should say what they really want and just be upfront with the public. They believe, there are just too many Muslims, Black people, and asylum seekers in the UK.  They really want to ban Islam, shut down Mosques and end all non-white non-Christian immigration to the UK. In essence what this post Brexit ‘we want our country back ‘refrain now means today is “we want our circa 1940’s white Christian country back.  

Yesterday it was Brexit. today’s narrative is about stopping the boats; tomorrow, it will focus on enforced mass deportations. In 2024 as Black and Asian communities we now find ourselves under sustained and brutal racist attacks, betrayed by both the right and the left.

To all the genuine anti-racists defending their communities, I offer my deepest respect. We know there are many more of us than there are of them. We need to make sure communities are educated about the risk and mobilised to take action.  

Talking of action it’s time for trade unions to take decisive action and fund large-scale anti-racism initiatives. We need dynamic Black leadership at the forefront of the anti-racist movement to avoid past pitfalls. It’s imperative to decolonise the left’s traditional approaches to anti-racism and rebuild with strength and resilience. We need a government that addresses the root causes of endemic poverty and austerity, which breeds racism, hostility, and division.

The future appears bleak. We can look forward to more neoliberal falsehoods about the economy and that inevitably leads to more scapegoating. Trapped in an economic straight jacket of their own making Labour’s stunning election win but poor popularity has already be shown to be broad and thin. Maintaining an alliance with Sunderland and Southall is no easy feat. 

When things eventual turn sour for Labour as they struggle to meet expectations, we may see in a couple of years more race riots and a revitalised Farage leading a rebranded Tory party, challenging Labour on race and immigration. The environment in certain parts of the country is becoming increasingly hostile. 

What, then, is the solution? British democracy is at a crossroads, and we need a Labour party that unequivocally rejects racism.

We need a trade union movement that invests in political education for the working class and funds Black and Asian anti-racist organisations. We also need substantial democratic reforms. If racism is to persist as a characteristic of British politics, it is preferable to have these views expressed openly, where they can be challenged. Proportional representation is crucial for restoring faith in democracy, even if it means the election of some racists.

We must unify, demand better anti racist leadership, and ensure our voices resonate in the halls of power. Only through collective effort and unwavering commitment can we hope to build a more inclusive and just Britain, Whether or not we can achieve that goal is not certain, Whether Britain becomes a modern 21^st century multicultural democracy or an antiquated mono cultural relic of the past now hangs precariously in the balance. 

 

 

The Endless Cycle: Met Police's Violent and Invasive Racial Profiling of Black Children Continues Unchecked.

In the heart of London, the weathered and storied pavements have silently witnessed regal parades, anti-war protests, and civil rights protests over many years. London, the capital city, is often seen as the shining city on the hill. London has the rightful claim to be a world city, hyper-multicultural, vibrant, and exciting. 

Of late, however, we have also witnessed the spectre and shadowed lived experiences of Black children being racially profiled, beaten and strip-searched by an increasingly aggressive and confrontational Metropolitan Police Service. 

Terrell DeCosta Jones Burton

There are many cases one could highlight, but the case of a 15-year-old schoolboy, Terrell DeCosta Jones Burton, who, in 2017, was subject to a brutal attack by Met Police Officers is particularly noteworthy. Terrell received critical hospital treatment following his brutal, wrongful, and violent arrest while cycling in Bermondsey, South London.

Here, we see a beautiful young soul whose only misstep was existing at the deadly intersection of systemic police racism, adolescence, and being in possession of melanated skin. In a tired old repeat of our tragic history, the Police had targeted the wrong boy. Despite that, the Independent Office of Police Complaints (IOPC) unsurprisingly cleared Met officers of any wrongdoing in 2019 two years later. 

Terrell, his family, and the wider community are left to swing in the wind. The response to our anger and outrage? No trauma-informed treatment, no apology, no compensation, no justice – just us, and a bucket load of tears and pain with a community left in the deep well of perpetual trauma. 

Add to the Terrell incident, the savage baton attack by a plain-clothed police officer on a schoolboy in Romford in 2018, yet another incident where the community is again left in deep pain, and the officer concerned is given the all-clear and a pardon.

Add to these the cases of:

The case of 12-year-old Kia Agyepong

of Islington, who was playing with a toy plastic gun in his home on a summer evening in 2020 when a neighbour reported seeing a Black man with a gun in the property.  The Met armed response squad burst into his family home, which he shared with his Mum and two elder sisters. The police swat team raided her property and arrested her son. 
 

Or the horrific case of Child Q, a Black 15-year-old schoolgirl in 2022 who was forcibly stripped, searched in school by Met officers and forced to remove her Tampon on the basis that she smelled of cannabis.

And more recently, in 2023, we saw the case of Child X, who, when playing outside with a water pistol during the school holidays with his younger sister, was reported by a police officer as having a gun and rammed off his scooter by a van of armed police officers, surrounded by armed police, handcuffed and whose mother was told when she protested that they nearly killed her son was dismissed and told, “You’re being aggressive, and you’re lucky we're not arresting him for possession of a imitation firearm.”  

The Snail Pace of Policing Reform.

When it comes to the issue of police reform, change has been bone-achingly slow-moving at a glacial pace. The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) Police Race Action Plan, the Met Commissioners Turn Around Plan alongside Mayor Sadiq Khans Race Action Plan, all responses to the findings of the Casey Review are, have all failed to deliver any meaningful change - a testament to the resilience of racism in policing. 

We now know that many of the advances made in the immediate aftermath of the publication of the seminal Stephen Lawrence report published in 1999, in hindsight, were short-term gains followed by longer-term losses.  The Police began the lengthy process of rebuilding and regaining Black community confidence in those early years; however, that brief honeymoon period didn’t last long. 

Book your ticket today. 

Within a decade of the publication of the McPherson report, Boris Johnson was Mayor of London and busily dismantling the entire police accountability and race monitoring systems and processes we fought so long and hard to secure. Boris, alongside the then Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, declared in the forward to a 2008 Metropolitan Police Authority Race and Faith Inquiry report into Black officers being unfairly targeted in misconduct procedures that Met was "no longer an institutionally racist organisation." 

Johnsons' catastrophic error in dismantling police accountability structures in London had devastating consequences and triggered the worst deterioration in police-community relationships ever seen in modern British history. Black public confidence in the police is at an all-time low, lower than the levels seen in the uprising against the culture of police racism witnessed in 1981 or 2011. The National Black Police Association (NBPA) has called a national Black police recruitment for the third time in its long history; such is their concern about the fact that the Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has refused to acknowledge systemic racism while internally he has launched a full-scale political attack on the NBPA and Met BPA. 

What this demonstrates beyond doubt is that Black people have consistently boycotted joining the police in recent times, and these figures demonstrate that reality. 

Let’s be straight up and down about it, Black people are not joining a “police force” they see as toxic, racist and harmful.  A report published by the Police Foundation in 2020 found that Black officer numbers had reached their peak of 1,504 in 2016 and rose by just 86 between 2007 and 2018, from 1,412 to 1,498.  

That’s an average of seven black people a year in each of those long eleven years. Today, applications have slowed to barely a trickle, and Black people are rightly refusing to join a police service they see as racist, aggressive, hostile and now targeting their children. 

We know that the weight of constant suspicion, the presumption of guilt, bears heavily upon their young shoulders. London's Black children, living their best racially profiled lives, face a policing system where systemic police racism is as toxic as the iconic London smog that once blanketed this great city.

The Data Speaks, But Who Listens?

What these shocking figures have revealed is a disheartening narrative. Black, Asian, and mixed-ethnicity children account for an astonishing 69% of youth arrests in London. Such figures reflect not random chance but a pattern of targeting, a systemic hunt set against Black communities.

The hard numbers are one thing, but we don’t live as data points. Statistics, however compelling, are sterile without the pulse of human experience. 

They do not bleed, they do not weep, and they do not convey the tremor in a mother’s voice as she schools her child on how to survive an encounter with those who should protect them.

The Trauma Imposed: The Echo of History in Modern Policing

The scars left by this relentless racial profiling of our communities are not only physical but cut deep into the communal psyche. 

Cases like Child A, Q and X are not outliers but a repeat of a well-trodden path of systemic discrimination in policing. The disproportionate searching, the aggressive arrests without subsequent action, the ignominy of innocence lost to police prejudice—all this fuels a cycle of trauma, fear and anger that reverberates through families and communities. 

Our collective community police trauma is deep, abiding and terrifying. As Black parents, we are always a single heartbeat away from experiencing our children being brutalised by the Met. That trauma is lived and real, and unless there is some process of recognising and managing that community trauma, it will continue to seethe. 

God forbid a child should die as a consequence of violent police arrest and systemic racism that legitimises racial profiling because, at that point, all hell will break loose. You would’ve thought these smart politicians would know these totemic issues and understand their power and potency. They do not, and the implications are that the city hasn't learned the lessons of its past. 

A System Unchecked: The Spectre of Adultification and Misguided Authority

The haunting spectre of adultification looms larger every day, casting Black children not as sentient human beings of potential and wide-eyed curiosity but as all potentially violent criminals, threats to society and law and order, to be violently confronted, restrained with overwhelming force. 

This deeply pernicious and explosive trend must be fully acknowledged, challenged, and must be confronted by Black communities ourselves as, frankly, no one else gives a damn. The APA is resolute in its mission to ring the alarm, mobilise communities and stand at the vanguard of this battle, demanding reforms and transparent accountability from politicians and the police. 

The Call to Arms: A Rallying Cry for Justice

It is not enough to shake our heads at the monotonous and unsettling statistics or tsk, tsk away at the harrowing stories above. This is a call to arms, a call for unity and action. We must stop simply reacting to tragedies we can all see coming. 

As responsible adults, we need to be proactive in defending our Black children and do recall that 90% of our children who are arrested are subsequently released without charge. Let that sink in. 

The APA conference aims to prevent an all too predictable future because the real reality is that as relations stand now, it would take just one horrific incident caught on a smartphone London could find itself burning as a result. 

Conclusion: A Society on the Precipice

London’s Black community now stands on the precipice, looking into the chasm of public confidence carved by the relentless nature of systemic police racism that, like water, wears away all resistance. We now face a profound choice: do we, knowing what we know now, simply step back into complacency, or do we organise and stride forward into action? 

The disproportionate arrest rates and systemic failures of a policing system are not just statistics; they are a grim testament to the reality of the system of apartheid policing and Jim Crow justice that others sanitise with semi-pseudo-scientific police and Home Office beaurospeak (made-up word), using words like “disproportionality:, ‘unconscious and implicit bias’s and ‘diversity’, or ‘we are committed to eradicating racism’, and the best one of all is of course ‘we are working with the community’. 

We are the sculptors of justice and the architects of the future we wish to bequeath to our children. 

The APA Conference on Policing and the Black Child has to be more than an event—it must be the crucible where we forge a new charter of demands for policing, where the concerns of Black communities are taken to the top table. We collectively demand that our children be safeguarded from the horrors of systemic racism in policing. 

A Final Thought: The Vigilance of Change

We understand that our work is not done. Our generation must be the bearers of change, lest the next find themselves burdened with battles that should have been won. The data, the cases, and the experiences all point to an immutable truth: the time for change is not just nigh; it has arrived.

Join us at the APA conference. Stand with us in fighting for justice and equity and preserving our youth's future. Let us begin the work that cannot, must not, wait.

Key Arrest Statistics and Demographics

·      69% of children arrested in London are from Black, Asian, or mixed-ethnicity backgrounds.

·      Black and Asian communities each account for 8% of all arrests nationwide.

Disparities in Policing

·      Evidence suggests racial profiling and systemic bias within UK policing.

·      Black and Asian individuals are more likely to be stopped and searched.

Media and Political Influence

· Some politicians and media outlets perpetuate harmful stereotypes, associating Black and Asian communities disproportionately with a crime.

Data on Taser Use

·      27.5% of Taser incidents involved Black children.

·      27.5% of Taser incidents involved children experiencing a mental health episode.

·      17-year-olds were the most affected age group.

Strip-search Data

·      More than 2,840 children were strip-searched by police between 2018 and 2022.

·      Black children are up to six times more likely to be searched.

·      Over 50% of searches led to no further action.

·      A significant number of searches occurred without an appropriate adult present.

Youth Justice System Statistics

·      Black children are disproportionately represented at various stages of the justice system.

·      18% of stop and searches (where ethnicity was known) involve Black children.

·      15% of arrests involve Black children.

·      34% of children in custody on remand are Black.

·      29% of the youth custody population is Black (up from 18% ten years ago).

End. 

The New Jim Crow? Racial Disparities Skyrocket in UK's Criminal Justice System.

 Systematic Failure: Unmasking Englands and Wales Jim Crow Justice.

The recent findings by the United Nations on racial disparities within the UK's criminal justice

system is not just a revelation but a condemnation of a deep-seated systemic failure. These findings lay bare a truth that communities of colour in the UK have experienced for decades: a justice system steeped in racial bias that perpetuates inequality and undermines the very foundation of justice and equality it purports to uphold. As an ardent advocate for racial equality and a chair of the Alliance of Police Accountability, I see these revelations not merely as data points but as an urgent call to dismantle a fundamentally flawed system.

The Stark Reality of Racial Disparities

Historical and recent data expose a grim picture: Black Britons and other ethnic minorities are systematically targeted and disproportionately affected by policing practices. Stop and search tactics, a long-contested aspect of UK policing, are a clear example. Black individuals are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched than their White counterparts. This is not just a statistic—it is a daily violation of dignity and rights, perpetuating a cycle of mistrust and fear.

The disparities do not stop at police encounters. Once within the grips of the criminal justice system, Black and Minority Ethnic individuals are more likely to be arrested and, upon conviction, receive harsher and longer sentences compared to White individuals charged with similar offences. This biased treatment extends through every layer of the system, from the streets to the courtrooms, eroding trust and deepening the divides in our communities.

Voices from the Front Lines

The human impact of these systemic injustices is profound. Personal stories from those affected paint a harrowing picture of racial profiling and its repercussions. Consider Michael, a young Black man from London whose routine stop escalated into an arrest that has marred his future. Michael's story is not an isolated incident but a manifestation of a pervasive pattern of racial profiling that sees Black individuals as suspects first and citizens second.

The structural roots of these disparities are complex, embedded in outdated policies, a pervasive lack of accountability, and a policing culture that often operates on implicit biases rather than evidence. This system doesn't just fail its citizens; it actively participates in a form of structural violence against minority communities.

Demanding Radical Change

The data and narratives bring us to an inescapable conclusion: the UK's criminal justice system as it currently stands is a relic of racial injustice that must be confronted and dismantled. This is not the time for superficial reforms or half-measures. The system requires a radical overhaul that starts with acknowledging these biases and committing to transformative changes.

It's imperative to scrutinise the effectiveness of the many initiatives and demand accountability and real, substantive changes to uproot racial disparity from the fabric of our criminal justice system.

Current Responses and Initiatives

Despite longstanding evidence of racial disparities, the responses from UK authorities have been woefully inadequate, largely characterised by superficial, largely cosmetic reforms that fail to address the root causes of systemic racism within the criminal justice system. As we delve into these initiatives, it becomes apparent that what has been touted as progress is often little more than a veneer, masking the lack of substantive change.

Analyzing the Police Race Action Plan

One of the more publicised responses has been the National Police Chiefs Council's Police Race Action Plan, intended to address racial disparities in policing practices. While the plan acknowledges the existence of racial biases and proposes measures to mitigate them, its effectiveness remains questionable. The plan is already failing, notwithstanding the efforts of its Independent Scrutiny Board, which lacks resources and robust mechanisms for accountability. 

The Board, two years on since its launch and made up of good people, is already disempowered and undermined to the point where it does not sufficiently challenge the entrenched practices that perpetuate racial profiling and discrimination. It is a response that seems to tick boxes rather than initiate the deep-seated reforms necessary to dismantle institutional racism.

The Public Sector Equality Duty: A Missed Opportunity

The Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010 mandates that public authorities, including the police, must eliminate discrimination and advance equality. However, implementing this duty has been inconsistent since the mandatory positive duty in the Act was removed by PM Boris Johnson. As a result, there is a significant gap between the spirit of the duty and its practical application. The amended duty has not been the catalyst for change that it was envisioned to be, largely due to weak enforcement and a lack of serious penalties for non-compliance. The positive diuty should be fully restored to the Human Rights Act.

Limited Community Involvement and Oversight

Community involvement in monitoring and reforming police practices has been another concern. While some police forces have made efforts to engage with communities, these initiatives often lack depth and do not provide communities with real power to influence policing policies or hold the police accountable. Community panels and advisory groups, where they exist, often have limited scope and authority, reducing their effectiveness as tools for genuine engagement and reform. The APA provides the perfect vehicle to begin the process of community mobilisation, organisation and co-production of a 21st-century anti-racist policing charter.

The Role of Data and Transparency

Transparency remains a critical issue. The collection and publication of data on racial disparities in policing are inconsistent, making it difficult to assess the impact of reforms or hold authorities accountable. Without comprehensive and publicly accessible data, it is nearly impossible for communities and policymakers to understand the scope of the problems or verify the effectiveness of the measures purported to address them.

The current landscape of initiatives aimed at addressing racial disparities in the UK's criminal justice system is a patchwork of incomplete solutions and unfulfilled promises. The lack of meaningful progress is not just a failure of policy but a failure of will—a reflection of a system resistant to changes that would genuinely protect and serve all its citizens equally.

That is why the APA want to develop a local Police Monitoring Group, serviced by Policing Observatories with Universities and local communities, to provide independent data scrutiny capability.

Critical Analysis and Recommendations for Systemic Reform.

For over two decades, the UK's criminal justice system has been critiqued for its racial disparities, yet substantial progress remains elusive. This systemic inertia reflects not just a failure of policies but a deeper resistance within the system to acknowledge and address the root causes of racial injustice. As we critically analyze the efforts thus far and their shortcomings, it becomes evident that only a constitutional and rights-based approach can bring the necessary transformative changes. Progress is akin to someone trying to carry water in a basket and subject to the same laws of ever-diminishing returns.

Analysing the Shortcomings

The interventions attempted over the past 25 years, from diversity initiatives to inclusion training and action plans, have largely skirted around the deeper issues of systemic racism. While commendable in intention, these measures have failed to dismantle the entrenched biases that govern law enforcement operations and the broader justice system. The lack of substantial progress can be attributed to several factors:

• Superficial Reforms: Many initiatives are superficial and do not address the systemic nature of racial bias in policing and judicial decisions. They fail to alter the fundamental practices or power structures within the police and the criminal justice system.

• Lack of Accountability: There is a significant accountability gap, as law enforcement agencies are not held to stringent standards for reducing disparities. Without strict accountability and transparent oversight, superficial reforms continue to be the norm.

• Inadequate Community Empowerment: While some efforts have been made to involve communities, they often lack the power to effect real change. True community empowerment involves giving communities authority and resources to hold the police and justice system accountable.

• Resistance to Change: There is an underlying resistance to change within the system, often manifested in the reluctance to reevaluate and reform long-standing practices contributing to racial disparities.

• Lack of a Black community agenda and radical mass-based national campaigning organisation demanding and pursuing much-needed radical reforms.

Constitutional and Rights-Based Recommendations

To move beyond the cycle of ineffective reforms, the UK must adopt a bold, constitutional approach grounded in human rights principles. Here are actionable recommendations designed to enshrine duties and protect the rights of all citizens:

• Establish a Legal Framework for Racial Equality: Implement a robust legal framework that addresses racial disparities in the criminal justice system. This should include laws prohibiting racial discrimination in employment, goods and services and requiring active measures to promote racial equality.

• Mandatory Racial Impact Assessments: Introduce mandatory assessments for all new policing policies and practices, ensuring they are scrutinized for potential racial biases before implementation.

• Enhanced Oversight Mechanisms: Strengthen oversight mechanisms by establishing an independent national body with the power to investigate, sanction, and enforce changes in police departments that fail to meet racial equality standards.

• Community Control of Policing: Empower communities through legally binding mechanisms that allow them to oversee local police operations, including budget decisions and appointing chief officers.

• Comprehensive Data Collection and Transparency: Mandate comprehensive data collection on all aspects of the criminal justice process, disaggregated by race, to be publicly accessible. This transparency will facilitate accountability and informed policymaking.

• Education and Training Reform: Overhaul police training to focus on cultural competency, anti-racism, and the historical context of racial issues in policing. Education should be ongoing and involve experts from minority communities.

• National Reconciliation Process: Initiate a national reconciliation process that addresses historical injustices and works towards healing and rebuilding trust between law enforcement and racialized communities.

Theological, Philosophical, and Political Foundations

The demands for systemic reform are deeply rooted in the theological principles of justice, equality, and the inherent dignity of every individual, echoing the biblical admonition to "act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). Philosophically, the reforms reflect the ideals of the Enlightenment that emphasize the rights of individuals and the responsibility of the state to protect these rights. Politically, they draw on the democratic principle that governments should be of the people, by the people, and for the people, inclusive of all races and backgrounds.

Conclusion: A Call for Courageous Leadership

The path to reform is fraught with challenges, but it is necessary to establish a just and equitable society. It requires courageous leadership willing to confront uncomfortable truths and dismantle long-standing structures of power and privilege. As a society, we must demand and support this transformative change, ensuring that future generations inherit a criminal justice system that is truly just and reflective of the principles of equality and human rights. This journey towards reform is not only a legal and social necessity but a moral imperative that speaks to the core of what it means to uphold the dignity of every person and the collective well-being of our society.

The Alliance of Police Accountability is set to host a pivotal event titled "Policing and The Black Child in London: Establishing Accountability and Monitoring Framework in partnership with the University of East London, PEIL Centre, on 18 May 2024 from 10 am - 4 pm.

This event underscores the urgent necessity for a London-wide accountability framework to address the deep concerning trend of violent arrests involving Black children by the Metropolitan Police. Such troubling incidents not only demonstrate profound systemic racial disparities within the Met but also highlight the critical need for robust mechanisms to ensure transparency and fairness in policing practices. 

The establishment of this framework is vital for addressing the significant traumatic impacts experienced by Black children. It is essential for restoring and rebuilding community trust in the Met—a trust currently at a historic low. By focusing on transparency, equity, and community engagement, this initiative aims to lead by example in fostering a safer, more just environment for all Londoners, particularly its most vulnerable young residents. This effort will address immediate concerns and lay the foundational groundwork for enduring trust and cooperation between law enforcement and the communities they are meant to serve. 

For more info, email: APAInfo@protonmail.com

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