Sadiq Khan Defends Met Police's 'Massive Progress' On Racism, But Admits There's More To Do
Sadiq Khan claims the Met Police has made “massive progress” since the Macpherson Report labelled it institutionally racist 20 years ago – but refused to say whether he would use the same label today.
Speaking to HuffPost UK, he also pointed to “unanswered questions” over the death of railway worker Belly Mujinga, whose name was chanted by thousands of Londoners marching peacefully through the streets this week to protest police brutality and racism across society.
And he defended the force, saying it was not perfect but that society itself was structurally unequal and it was unfair to pin all responsibility on those enforcing the law.
Recent data show BAME people have been fined under coronavirus laws at twice the rate, proportionally, of their white counterparts, while the deaths in recent years of Black men in police custody hang over the Met’s reputation in the minds of many.
In 1999, the landmark Macpherson report found that it was racial prejudice in the force itself that helped allow the murderers of teenage Black boy Stephen Lawrence to evade justice.
We asked the mayor of London if the Met is still institutionally racist.
“The Met has made massive progress since the death of Stephen Lawrence public enquiry,” Khan said.
“When I speak to the commissioner on a daily basis, and her team, they are light years away from where the police were in the ’90s and before then.
“But I don’t accept we’re perfect; I think the Met Police Service still has got a huge scope for improvement. But the good news is they’re determined to improve and make sure they address the concerns that Londoners have.”
In an interview with ITV on Thursday, Met commissioner Cressida Dick dismissed suggestions officers unfairly target Black people.
The Guardian reported that, between March 27 and May 14, white people, who make up 59% of London’s population, received 444 fines, or 46% of the total; Black people, who make up 12% of London’s population, received 253...
