Sheriffs have admitted they are “embarrassed” by continuing to be racist in policing – as they come up with an action plan to stamp it out.
They promise zero tolerance in police service and mandatory training for all officers on racism and black history.
They also aim to increase recruitment and retention of black police and improve support for black victims of crime.
The move comes almost 25 years after Lord Macpherson reported the murder of a black teenager Stephen Lawrence labeled the Metropolitan Police, the largest force in the country, “institutionally racist” and published a blueprint to end police segregation.
In the preface to the new plan, the sheriff accepts the change has come too slowly and writes: “We accept that policing still contains racism, discrimination and prejudice. .
“We are ashamed of those facts, we apologize for them, and we are determined to change them.
“We have much more work to do to secure the trust of blacks, including our employees, and improve their policing experience – and we will.”
The plan by the National Council of Sheriffs and the College of Policy is a response to anti-racism protests across Britain following the murder of black people. George Floyd by a white cop in America two years ago this week.
Protesters’ claims about police discrimination in the UK are supported by statistics that show blacks are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched than whites. and five times more likely to be subjected to force.
Sir Dave Thompson, West Midlands police chief, said: “We fully accept that a lot of people think we are institutionally racist. We know that through engagement we’ve done it. and that’s our reality.”
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“This plan is about us saying ‘okay, our job, through this action and through our work, is to make it clear to everyone that we are not racist. institutional ethnicity’.
A series of scandals
The plan will be implemented nationwide by the end of this year after inviting experts and the public for comment.
It follows a series of scandals in which police officers from several forces were found to have engaged in racist behavior towards black people.
The sheriff denied the plan was a “wake-up” exercise. “How can it be awakened to be more legitimate and more effective in the way we stop and find people?” Tyrone Joyce, an interim deputy sheriff and the UK’s highest-ranking black officer asked.
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“And how can it be awakened if all of that leads to people feeling more secure?”
The plan will be scrutinized by an independent panel led by attorney Abimbola Johnson, who believes the police service is institutionally racist and that the sheriff should admit it.
‘It will be a challenge’
Protesters take to the streets of London after the killing of George Floyd
Ms. Johnson said: “Sheriff’s job is always tough, dealing with aspects like racism is always highly emotional. People will react negatively to the word – sometimes to the word. This is more than racist – so there are aspects that will need to be navigated by them.
“They need to work closely with the Police and Crime Commissioners, with members of the community and anti-racism groups.
“It’s going to be a challenge and they’re going to need to bring everyone along on the journey.”
Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, said he hopes a return to neighborhood security will be part of the plan, so that white officers can get to know communities. with which they will not have regular contact.
“The plan has to be more than just a check-in document. We want and we demand real, lasting change,” he said.
