Police chiefs said they are “ashamed” of racism within their ranks, as they set out a plan to “secure the confidence of black people”.
Vowing that the police service will become an “institutionally anti-racist organisation”, leaders said the need for change is “evident” as it “lags behind almost every part of the public service as an employer of choice for black people”.
They branded the fact that only two black officers in the history of the police had reached the rank of chief constable or assistant commissioner a “failure”.
In a foreword to the Police Race Action Plan, head of professional body the College of Policing Chief Constable Andy Marsh and West Midlands Police Chief Constable Sir Dave Thompson, the senior officer responsible for the project, said the murder of George Floyd in America provided a “catalyst for the expression of deep concerns about the social injustice experienced by black people”, and policing has a “difficult history in its relationships with black communities”.
They said: “We accept that policing still contains racism, discrimination and bias. We are ashamed of those truths, we apologise for them and we are determined to change them.
“We have much to do to secure the confidence of black people, including our own staff, and improve their experience of policing – and we will. We will be held to account and we welcome scrutiny.
“We hope that, in the future, we will be seen as the institutionally anti-racist organisation we want to be, because we took action and delivered on our promise to change.”
The 57-page plan intends to make the police service “anti-racist”, one which condemns “overt racist behaviour” and wants officers to be “trusted by black people”.
Proposed measures include: – Mandatory training for officers, staff and volunteers on the history of the policing of black people and the ongoing impact of disproportionality.
– Chief constables identifying and addressing disproportionality in the use of force, Tasers and stop and search – particularly involving drugs or checks on children.
– Forces in England and Wales being tasked with explaining policies or practices where racial disparity exists and, when this cannot be explained, being expected to change them.
– Making workforces more representative by trying to recruit, keep and promote more black staff.
– Increased involvement of black community groups in the oversight of policing, as well as plans to improve the service to black victims of crime.
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