BBC poll confirms worst fears: London’s Black communities no longer trust the Metropolitan Police

A recent poll published by BBC London has highlighted the devastating lack of trust in the Metropolitan Police Service particularly but not exclusively among Black Londoners.   The poll was conducted in the aftermath of the allegations in the Guardian from ex Met undercover officer Paul Francis. He alleges that the police had a covert Special Demonstrations Unit who wanted to smear the Lawrence family and their supporters at the time of Stephens murder, his story is simply devastating.

The BBC London poll suggested a quarter of all those surveyed believe the Met is still institutionally racist. This rises to and incredible 38% of black and minority ethnic people. A huge 25% also believed there was widespread police corruption. Nevertheless 85% of those polled said they trusted the Met overall.

These figures confirm that the awful reality that we are witnessing the single worst period in police and black relations in the last 30 years. I have repeatedly put that charge to both Commissioner Hogan Howe and Mayor of London Boris Johnson over the last three years. Both have routinely dismissed my claim as being ludicrous and politically motivated. These figures confirm that relations today are in fact at their lowest point in decades. Both men have determined that the Met is no longer an ‘institutional racist’ organisation a statement so far removed from the truth as to constitute a lie, given what we know such an assertion defies all logical understanding. 

The dramatic and unprecedented finding of  the public inquiry into the Met killing of Azelle Rodney that concluded the Met had 'no legal justification' for his shooting will seriously aggravate these already severely strained relations. If the police officer concerned is not prosecuted and there is every chance they wont, then we will enter Rodney King type territory.  

In looking at these figures Londoners should be concerned, very concerned. It is precisely in this type of febrile atmosphere that makes civil disorder more likely. In August 2011 London and other parts of the UK burned and riots erupted after the shooting by police of Tottenham man Mark Duggan.

With relations so shot to pieces, it really only takes one minor incident on the streets combined with good weather and London could be burning again only this time, largely because of cuts to the GLA budget ordered by Boris, there are lot less police officers and firefighters to deal with any sustained disorder.

What these figures tell us that London is a multicultural city where race equality has been eviscerated from the Mayors list of political priorities. Johnson believes he can simply charm his way to a safer city without seriously engaging with Black communities. This is an error so fundamentally wrong and so catastrophic for the city as to constitute a crime.

Good community police relations take time to build and mature. They require constant care and attention and the adoption of a strategic approach that builds and deepens community partnerships in the fight against crime.  This must amount to more than simple rhetoric, a couple of jokes and few Latin references. It requires that the Mayor acknowledges these pressing realities and starts the long slow process of rebuilding trust and confidence with a political focus that matches the scale of the problem. As these figures demonstrate that problem is now of staggering proportions.

From 2000 – 2008 whilst Director of Policing for London the levels of trust among London’s Black communities increased year on year. That was a result of a determined policy of community reassurance and engagement alongside a real priority to tackle institutional racism within the Met. The result were spectacular, not only did trust and confidence reach the highest levels ever among black communities, but for the first time in the Mets history the majority of police officer  applications came from Black communities. We increased the number of Black officers by 100% in that period. We also ensured that the Mets Senior Command Team looked more like London and that the maintenance of community police relations was a number one priority. In terms of Mayoral appointments to various London strategic boards and committees that are within the gift of the Mayor, our equalities policies ensured that Black and ethnic minority representation reached its highest level of any city anywhere in the UK.

The fight against crime requires communities to enjoy good relations with our police officers increasing the extent to which people feel comfortable and confident about reporting crime.. The majority of crime is solved as a result of information and intelligence received from the wider public.  Crime will increase where confidence in policing remains so fragile. The failure of Boris Johnson and Hogan Howe to recognise the political priority attached to race equality has cost Londoner millions and tragically as we saw in August 2011 can have deeply tragic consequences.

The reality is that the August 2011 riots could and should have been avoided, The failure was largely a political one. Boris’s senior team has no one from London’s Black communities to advise him and being an instinctive Tory is blindsided on the issue of race and race equality. This is a costly and critical error. London is one of the most diverse cities on the face of the planet and yet the senior staff teams at both the Mayor’s Office and within the Met itself have seen a deterioration of diverse representation. Black people are being airbrushed out of the picture. 

When Boris was elected in 2008 the Greater London Authority and the Met Police were the most diverse public sector organisation in the UK. In the senior positions London was the most diverse it had been since the abolition of the Greater London Council.

The Mayor’s Office and the Met looked increasing like London of the 21^st century. Five years on Boris’s has reversed those gains through a combination of ignorance and arrogance. Today the Met is experiencing a net loss of Black police offices  whilst the Mayor’s office suffers from what the Black community calls the Guinness syndrome.

Boris allowed Stop and Search to get out of control, failed to spot growing tensions arising as a result of the increase in the number of black men dying in suspicious circumstances whilst in police custody. He failed to deliver his much vaunted but now discredited Black Boys Mentoring Scheme, failed to maintain Black recruitment, and promotion within the Met or his office.

He dismantled the jewel in the MPS’s community police relations crown,  Operation Trident that has now  lost every last shred of its credibility as a result of his instance that it be turned into a ‘ gang unit’. Boris abolished the London Hate Crimes Forum and then saw both racial and religious attacks in London increase as result. Against the backdrop of recent events in Woolwich  we have seen increasing rates of Islamophobic attacks on Muslims particularly women. Mosques and other religious buildings have become targets and the EDL is seeking to ferment religious and racial conflict across London.

He has effectively abolished the borough based Police Community Consultative Groups brought in under Lord Scarman post the 1986 disturbances. These were designed to help maintain and promote understanding, partnership and trust and confidence. Boroughs like Lambeth for example are entirely reliant, for maintenance of good order on the local PCCG, whose 30 year track record in acting as a pressure valve for local policing concerns has been essential. You would have to be really stupid to do away with these forums but that what Boris in his glorious wisdom has decided. Foolish boy.

Part of the civic culture of a multicultural city relies on ensuring that the diversity and cultural dynamism of London is highlighted and promoted. This is necessary to build cultural capital that can be utilised at time of crisis to maintain a sense of collective citizenship and solidarity. The promotion of diverse cultures not only educates but raises awareness of the reality of our global city and reinforces the city sense of itself. The Mayor’s Office is critical to setting that tone however this Mayor has been distinctly monocultural .

Boris cancelled Black History month and spent the money on America Day, cancelled the anti-racist Rise Festival and Africa Day. Cultural event such as these promote understanding and community cohesion.

Under Boris Black Youth unemployment is at highest level in a generation and adult rates are rising fast as a result of public sector redundancies and voluntary sector project closures as a result of local authority cuts with consequent increases in rates of child poverty in the capital

The brutal reality is when one looks at these social and economic indicators London is quite clearly a less tolerant city, less equal city under Boris Johnson than it was under Ken Livingstone.

My guess is that most white people in London have no idea of the reality of the nature of the Black or Muslim lived experience in London or recognise situation. The political disjuncture and chasm between the Tory Mayor, the Met Commissioner and London Black and Muslim communities represents a critical fracture in London political landscape. Like animals who can anticipate an earthquake before the first human feels a single tremor so I give London fair warning of the ructions to come.

These failures must now be seen as catastrophic errors of huge proportions .Political errors such as these have a delayed effect that are not immediately discernable.

All of these types of issues are slow burners, initially ignited by political ignorance or prejudice  build up slowly but have an almost irreversible momentum. Once built up they tend to take years to reverse. The portents for the future of the capital are not good and I believe we will see even more civil disturbances in the medium term as a direct result of the political failure of this egregious and affable Mayor.

Race equality in London. is not then, some politically correct ideological project of the loony left as so often portrayed by an irreverent Boris Johnson, but a solidly pragmatic, hardnosed political reality, an essential political requirement in a hyper diverse city such as London.

The Mayor of London failure to grasp this reality, his failure to ensure his team has the credibility and the skills to effectively represent all Londoners and his rude opposition to tackling racism and ensuring real diversity in London senior appointments has been a disaster the consequences of which will plague the city for a decade or more.

These figures indicate that a new approach to race equality in London is urgently needed however Boris and the Commissioner are bereft of people who have the necessary experience and credibility to begin the painstaking process of rebuilding trust and credibility between London’s Black communities and the Met police. In the mean time I would hope for the best and prepare for the worst it’s going to be one hell of bumpy ride.

  

Demo re: the coalition government's response to the riots - Thursday 27th October

Please come along to support this demonstration at the Smith Square Debate. I intend to ensure that they are left in no doubt about the anger felt in our communities.
Lee Jasper

Venue: Local Government Association, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ


All information below is from 
 http://www.local.gov.uk/web/10161/events/-/journal_content/56/10161/2837347/EVENT-TEMPLATE

 

Smith Square Debate: Moving on from the riots – a leadership challenge

London - 27 October 2011

The riots in London and parts of England in the summer showed the best and worst of society – violence, looting and damage to people and property but also a huge spontaneous clean-up operation by residents who were determined to take their streets back.

As we have time to reflect on what happened, we ask what's the role for local government leaders in these events?  How can councillors have a tangible impact on helping their communities recover from these serious instances of civil disturbance?  How can they assist with ensuring that they do not happen again?  And what needs to change about the way government seeks to solve some of the underlying social problems that blight communities?  These are just some of the questions due to be considered at this Smith Square Debate, where attendees will hear in an informal setting from a range of political speakers, before being invited to share their thoughts and question those positions being voiced.

Each panel guest will be invited to make a contribution for 5 – 7 minutes before opening up the debate to the audience.

Who should attend

• council leaders
• chief executives and officers
• councillors
• journalists
• researchers
• opinion-formers
• civil Servants and voluntary and private sector representatives.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP (Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, Shadow Minister for London and the Olympics) 
• Brian Paddick, former Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Metropolitan Police Service, and Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor 
• Cllr Alan Rudge, Cabinet Member for Equalities and Human Resources, Birmingham City Council
• Lord Adebowale, Cross Bench Peer, LGA Vice President, Chief Executive, Turning Point

Chair:  Chris Eakin, BBC 
Registration and refreshments will take place from 5.30pm, the debate will start at 6.00pm and will be followed by an informal drinks reception where attendees can network and continue their discussions in an informal setting.

How to book

Please refer to our terms and conditions of booking.
Please complete the online booking form on this page or complete the downloadable booking form.Download the record of attendance flyer
Further information
For sponsorship and exhibition opportunities please contact:
Richard Mole
telephone: 020 7664 3157
email: richard.mole@local.gov.uk

For any other queries please contact

The Events team
telephone: 020 7664 3131
email: events@local.gov.uk

Riots, Recession & Resistance - Lee Jasper - 11 August 2011

Reverend Jesse Jackson joins BME leaders in voicing concern

A coalition of BME leaders including Reverend Jesse Jackson have come together to voice their concerns about the recent events which have hit Britain.


Read the full statement below:

We, the undersigned, condemn the wanton violence and looting that has been perpetrated in our communities over the last few days. Above all it is good people in our areas such as Tottenham, Enfield, Walthamstow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Brixton who are most affected by these unacceptable actions.

However, whilst, unreservedly condemning the disgraceful actions of a minority, we must not ignore those elements that make these occurrences more likely. For example, the death of Mark Duggan is sad enough, however, the lack of information to his family and very conflicting reports of how his death occurred leads many to hold a deep distrust towards some authorities including the police.

Sadly this unclear, and at times, conflicting information given by the police and other related bodies has occurred in a number of recent deaths of Black men in police custody.

Equally we strongly feel that to do this debate, we must not ignore other conditions that make these occurrences more probable, including high Black and Minority Ethnic (BME):
- levels of youth unemployment
- levels of police stop and search
- detention rates under the Mental Health Act in the country
- the decimation of voluntary organisations which cater for young men and women in these areas.

In no way are these excuses for lawbreaking, but they are factors that need to be considered.

Our final message is to our communities in which we serve. Together, we must forge an even stronger sense of local community.

We call upon our MPs , Councillors and church leaders to meet and discuss our response. We call upon our young men and women to reject those who see this as an excuse for unlawful behaviour including looting, and show the rest of country our readiness to shoulder the responsibility to rebuild our communities out of the ashes of destruction.

Signed by: Reverend Jesse Jackson; Rainbow-Push Coalition; Simon Woolley, Operation Black Vote; Rob Berkeley, Runnymede Trust; Dr Elizabeth Henry, ROTA; Lee Jasper, BARAC; Sharon Grant, Chair of Haringey CAB; Remi Kapo, Author; Matilda MacAttram, Black Mental Health UK; Claudia Webbe, Operation Trident; Jeremy Crook, BTEG; Bishop David Shoshanya; Bishop Joe Aldred; Remi Kapo, Author; Karen Chouhan, Equanomics UK; Vandna Gohil, Voice 4 Change; Bishop Wayne Malcolm; Dave Weaver, 1990 Trust & Viv Ahmun, Black Men in the Community.


(Originally published at OBV http://www.obv.org.uk)

Lee Jasper on ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Watch here:  
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-09/violence-in-london-continues/2832204?section=world

Violence in London continues

Posted August 09, 2011 22:58:00

The bedlam in London has continued into its third night with no sign of an end. The violence has spread beyond the city and police are stretched trying to contain the crisis.
(Leigh Sales)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-09/violence-in-london-continues/2832204?section=world

LEIGH SALES: A new day in England has brought fresh fears of more violence.
The nation is reeling from the worst unrest in three decades.
It's also been a dramatic day on the Australian stock market and shortly we'll be speaking to some retirees about their fears for their nest eggs.
But first let's go straight to those extraordinary London scenes. Rioters are now rampaging far beyond the capital.
The violence has shut down entire suburbs and terrified residents are fleeing their homes.
In a desperate move, Scotland Yard has introduced special powers in some areas to try to contain the trouble.
But is the police presence on the ground sufficient?
Shortly I'll be crossing to London, but first have a look at some of the dramatic pictures out of the UK in the past 24 hours.
(vision of the London riots)
VOICE: Put that down! Put that down!
VOICE 2: Police lines, they had the lines had actually charged towards her and started hitting her with a baton. Subsequently it turned out she was only 16 and this absolutely made everyone go up in an uproar.
VOICE 3: Pity the policeman don't carry guns here.
VOICE 4: I just think the emergency services' response was awful.
VOICE 5: The police are fighting us too much. They're telling us no, no and then they killed someone.
VOICE 6: I don't know why people do this.
LEIGH SALES: Unbelievable, isn't it? Joining me now from London is Lee Jasper, he was a policing qualities adviser to the former London mayor Ken Livingston.
We know the protests started in Tottenham on the weekend because of a specific incident where police shot a man but what's driving the spread of this violence well beyond that area?
LEE JASPER, FORMER POLICING ADVISOR: I think there are a number of reasons for its spread. I think we've seen huge levels of austerity cuts in many inner city areas that's leading to a great deal of anxiety, concern, young people themselves now are not able to afford to take higher education, even at a basic level, much less get into a higher educational degree. That unemployment continues, unemployment continues to rise and there is a sense of anxiety but also a sense of moral crisis in the country. I think because of the MPs scandal, the corporate tax dodging issue of huge multinational companies, the News International corruption cases with the metropolitan police and phone hacking, there is a kind of failure really of people in power to uphold the kind of moral standards that we all aspire to. And as such, this has had an effect around the country particularly in some very poor and deprived communities. I saw a youth with a 52-inch screen walking, having robbed it from a local store in London and when I asked him what he's doing he said to me that this is his banker's bonus, it's his MPs expenses. We have a kind of malaise, a crisis of morality in the country. Things are very tough in very many areas and I think there is a sort of criminal opportunism that is riding on the back of a legitimate protest of what was a very serious incident of gunning a man down on London streets. And as a consequence of that lots of people have sought to criminally exploit what is a legitimate issue.
LEIGH SALES: Sorry to interrupt you, but presumably there would be a lot of Londoners who feel disenfranchised or unemployed affected by the austerity measures who are upset with the issues you raise who aren't out on the streets of London looting, is this merely an excuse for people to indulge in criminal behaviour?
LEE JASPER: I don't think so because I think as reprehensible as the attacks on people and property are and Lord knows that that is true, it is incredible that you could think about explaining a situation without making reference to the fact that we've got deeply alienated sections of our inner cities. Young people who don't think they've got any stake in society and I think any society wants to minimise the number of people that feel like that and unfortunately over the last few years we've seen that number grow. People are not able to get houses, people are not able to get into higher and further education. And with the abandonment of hope and opportunity, the policies of cynicism and desperation fill the vacuum. I think what you're seeing is a take up by people in very many inner cities who are deeply alienated, deeply angry, deeply frustrated and are taking out their misplaced anger in a splurge of criminal irresponsibility.
LEIGH SALES: If I could read you a comment which was left on the London Telegraph's website in response to an article that's making similar points to those that you're making and the comment is:"What a load of twaddle. Come from a broken home and was raised on council estates. I didn't look at people who had more than me and think jealous thoughts. Through sheer hard work and determination I retired at 40 a very wealthy man. Opportunities in life stop and start with the person in the mirror." What do you say to that?
LEE JASPER: He's not 21 and living the young black person on a housing estate in the middle of Peckham or Brixton or Hamsworth or a young white person in Wandsworth, Liverpool, Newcastle whose whole family for a generation has been left unemployed. One can't simply discount these things. Everybody wants a return to order and normality but if we think that simply locking people up is going to solve the problem in the wake of these disturbances then we're set to see a repeat of those disturbances at some point in the future. One can deal with the symptom which is the explosion of criminality but one has to also focus on the cause and that is the lack of engagement, democratic engagement, deep alienation that is faced by many young people in our inner cities and in fact not even young people. We've got 40 or 50-year-olds now being made unemployed in the country who are completely angry and alienated that their futures and their pensions are degraded and so on. Let me say this, this is not about young people or indeed young black people. I've been on the streets of London. I've seen middle-aged dentist technicians out there on the streets of London. I've seen people who are in a professional capacity and I think when you find the arrests are made you will find although the poor and deprived areas are represented they're by no means exclusively the ones being engaged in these activities.
LEIGH SALES: Where are the protestors coming from and what's the level of coordination of what's going on?
LEE JASPER: We're living in a multimedia world and all of the tools for coordination are already out there. So people are using social networking sites which everybody now is fairly accustomed to and are able to organise all sorts of activities using this new network and social media and that is providing a communications platform for people to initiate coordinated activity right across the country.
LEIGH SALES: Lee Jasper, thank you very much for making time to speak to us today.
LEE JASPER: Thank you.

 

Lee Jasper speaks to Sky News