In the Media

IPCC to handle all Met Police racism complaints

PUBLISHED April 16, 2012
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In future all complaints of a racist nature against Met Officers will bypass the force's internal complaints procedure and will be automatically referred to the independent body.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) announced it would look at past and current complaints in an effort to identify any trends, warning that recent instances suggested a "much wider disaffection and dissatisfaction" with the force.

The move comes as the watchdog announced it was formally looking into two further allegations of racism against officers, bringing the total now under consideration to five.

The two new cases relate to alleged incidents in September and December 2011.

Cases already currently under investigation include that of 21-year-old, who recorded an incident in which he was allegedly racially abused by an officer; claims that a 15-year-old youth was assaulted at a police station in East London and allegations that a group of officers made racist remarks to one another in earshot of other staff.

Six other allegations of racism are being investigated internally by the force, but will be subject to assessment by IPCC investigators.

The IPCC review is intended to ensure that Scotland Yard deals with all allegations of racism properly and follows the stringent guidelines which were put in place following the Macpherson report into the Lawrence murder, which branded the force "institutionally racist".

The recent raft of fresh allegations have led to accusations that little progress has been made in the 19-years since the racist murder, which sparked claims that the Met did not treat London's black community equally.

Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe has vowed to stamp out racism in the force warning that those indulging in such behaviour will find him an "implacable enemy".

He has urged all staff within the Met to report instances of racism and said: "I will not stand for any racism or racists."

The IPCC has said the issue goes wider than just London and has reminded all forces in England and Wales of the importance of following guidelines when complaints of racism are made.

Commissioner Mike Franklin who is overseeing the five investigations being carried out by the IPCC said: "Responsibility for tackling racism in the police and for most complaints about racism by police officers rests squarely with the police, who must demonstrate that they are not being passive and are taking action to root it out.

"However in view of these referrals the IPCC is increasing its level of scrutiny over these cases."

He added: "The police must not hide behind statistics and must recognise that actual recorded allegations of racism are probably an indication of much wider disaffection and dissatisfaction."

He said young black men, who were the most likely to be subject to stop and search procedures, were the least likely to make formal complaints.

Mr Franklin added: "At the heart of people's concerns are issues of fairness and respect - the British policing model which relies on policing by consent simply cannot deliver a professional service if sections of the population perceive it to be unfair and discriminatory."

Mr Franklin went on: "We know that allegations of racism are often difficult to prove as in many cases they are a complainant's word against an officer or officers, but that does not necessarily mean it did not happen.

"There needs to an understanding of the complainant's perception of what has happened to them, which is often a product of their experience. The police must see all complaints as evidence of a potential problem, and address the systemic issues underlying the complaints they receive. This must involve an examination of culture, training, supervision

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