Harrowing warning about police racism as 'lack of leadership courage' fears raised

Black police officers are experiencing a "worsening environment" - with some saying they have considered ending their own lives, a harrowing report warns.

A "lack of leadership courage" means racist behaviour is becoming normalised, the National Black Police Association (NBPA) said. It comes amid growing questions about how chief constables will be held to account in tackling racism beyond next year.

Official data shows continued racial disparities in stop and search, use of force and treatment of children. But four years after the Government's Police Race Action Plan (PRAP) was drawn up, a key watchdog said there are huge gaps in the progress forces are making.

Abimbola Johnson, who chairs the Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board (ISOB), called on the Government to clarify what happens when PRAP funding runs out in March.

In the watchdog's report, the NBPA warns: "Disappointingly, rather than witnessing improvements, we are seeing a worsening environment for Black and ethnic minority officers and staff, alongside persistent racial disparities in policing outcomes."

It said some chief constables are "resistant" to PRAP's aims - adding: "This lack of leadership courage undermines the integrity of the plan."

Since 2020 the NBPA said it has heard about horrific racist messages and vile language not resulting in formal sanctions. It said: "Behind these incidents are real people, not just statistics.

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"We have supported colleagues who have considered ending theirown lives due to the organisation’s failure to protect them or take racism seriously. These are not isolated anecdotes - they are symptoms of a deeper institutional complacency, and they must serve as awake-up call to everyone in leadership.

"There is a clear and dangerous gap in current provisions." Since PRAP was introduced, forces have been required to bring in changes and keep records to raise confidence in the Black communities. But the ISOB warns that there is huge variation between forces, and records are not kept consistently.

And it said that unless the Home Office makes a longer-term commitment to the plan, there are serious questions over anti-racism work beyond next year. After this point it will become the sole responsibility of local forces.

The Home Office must take a more "hands on" approach, the ISOB says. Hightlighting the ongoing need for action, campaign group Just for Kids Law: "There continues to be significant racial disparity in relation to children’s interaction with the police, with tensions and lack of trust exacerbated in recent years.

"Racist narratives of ‘aggression’ and ‘propensity to violence’ follow Black children throughout the systems with which they engage. Consequently, Black children are often, construed as risks to the public and community and, not being afforded the notion of innocence due to perceptions of being older and, therefore, more responsible for their actions."

The ISOB says an upcoming Maturity Matrix - a publicly-available dashboard tracking anti-racism delivery in England and Wales' 43 forces must not be delayed further. It says an acknowledgement of institutional racism in some places, including Avon and Somerset, had led to better training and accountability.

Ms Johnson said: "We remain concerned by a lack of clarity about which police forces are meeting their objectives, and more importantly, insight into what enables or hinders their success." She said poor data collection is a "significant issue", and added the anti-racism plan has not been consistently pushed to achieve its potential.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dr Alison Heydari, PRAP programme director , said: “Policing has made strides forward since the plan was launched. Black representation is up by 25 per cent among police officers, race disparity has fallen in a whole range of police powers, while the number of officers dismissed “for discriminatory behaviour has quadrupled, reflecting our commitment at the outset of this plan to take a zero-tolerance approach to racism.

“However, I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge. More must be done, especially as local forces take greater ownership of the plan from next year. "

A Home Office spokesperson said: “There is no space for racism and intolerance in our police, and we will always take pride in our forces being truly representative of the diverse communities they serve.

“We fully support the aims of the Police Race Action Plan, and are committed to working with police leaders to ensure necessary progress is made.”

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