Police In England And Wales Face Review Into Possible Racial Bias
Police in England and Wales will face a review into whether officers racially discriminate against ethnic minorities in their use of force and stop and search.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IPOC) is launching a probe into possible racial bias amid tensions over a series of recent high-profile cases.
On Wednesday the Met Police apologised to Team GB athlete Bianca Williams for the “distress” caused by a stop and search which she claims was a result of racial profiling.
The police watchdog said it will use its formal powers to investigate cases to see if there is any pattern of racial discrimination.
It has vowed it can “drive real change in policing practice”.
IOPC director general Michael Lockwood said a review in the coming months will focus on race discrimination “to establish the trends and patterns which might help drive real change in policing practice”.
He said: “Evidence of disproportionality in the use of police powers has long been a concern which impacts on confidence in policing, particularly in the BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) communities.
“But even with the numbers and the statistics, particularly from stop and search data, we still need to better understand the causes and what can and should be done to address this.
Lockwood added: “Initially we will focus on investigating more cases where there is an indication that disproportionality impacts the BAME community, including stop and search and use of force.
“We will also be investigating more cases where victims from BAME communities have felt unfairly treated by the police.”
It comes after the force’s commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, apologised to Williams - who claimed officers racially profiled her and her partner Ricardo dos Santos – a Black Portuguese 400-metre runner – when they were handcuffed and separated from their three-month-old son.
A video of the incident, which saw the couple pulled from their car in a London street, was posted online by...
