Stop and search still needs addressing 20 years after murder of Stephen Lawrence, says police body

Stop and search is still a major issue which needs to be addressed, two decades after the death of Stephen Lawrence, according to the National Black Police Association (NBPA).

The call comes on the 20th anniversary of the murder of the black London teenager. A public inquiry in 1999, headed by Sir William Macpherson, criticised the police for the handling of the killing and labelled the Metropolitan Police Service 'institutionally racist'.

The Macpherson report made recommendations for policing as a whole, many aimed at improving attitudes towards race and emphasised the importance of recruiting more black and Asian officers.

Official figures released by the Home Office show that police across England and Wales stopped and searched 1.2 million people and/or vehicles in 2011/12. In all 28 per cent of those identified themselves as belonging to minority ethnic groups.

A large proportion of stop and searches were carried out by London’s Metropolitan Police Service. A total of 51 per cent per cent of those conducted by the Met were people from minority ethnic backgrounds, compared to 13 per cent from all other forces.

The Home Office report says: "This in part is explained by both the high population density and the high minority ethnic populations (resident and visitor) within the Metropolitan Police Service area."

The 2011 census showed that over 40 per cent of Londoners were from minority ethnic groups.

However the NBPA, which represents minority officers across the country, believes that British policing must adopt 'radical' measures to tackle issues of race and diversity. It says the under-representation of black and minority ethnic officers presents a serious threat to modern day policing and the democratic nature of the service.

NBPA president Charles Crichlow said: "It is unacceptable that in the twenty first century less than five per cent of police officers in England and Wales are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.

"British policing must adopt radical approaches across the service, if issues of race and diversity are to be successfully addressed."

The statement from the NBPA comes as the Met’s Black Police Association, which represents minority officers in the London force, declared the Met was still 'institutionally racist'.

Its chairman Bevan Powell told the Guardian newspaper: "Institutional racism is not about labelling individuals racists but rather police practice and procedures that bring about disproportionate outcomes for black and minority ethnic communities and police personnel."

Chair of the Met’s Black Police Association Charitable Trust, Superintendent Leroy Logan, told the newspaper that before the force could consider itself free of institutional racism, it must tackle the continuing disproportions in the treatment of minority Londoners.

He said: "The real litmus test is still the vexed issue of stop and search and its disproportionality in black and minority ethnic communities, because so many people perceive that the police are involved in racial profiling."

The Met says the causes of stop and search disparities are complex, but it is taking action to improve standards. A spokesman said: "We have reviewed stop and search policy and practice to examine ways of making its use more effective and of increasing public confidence. Officers are also receiving enhanced training designed to improve knowledge and understanding of stop and search powers and the quality of encounter."

With regard to the numbers of black and minority ethnic officers in the force, the spokesman said 'good progress' had been made with 17 per cent of officer recruits now from minority ethnic backgrounds.
 
However the Met acknowledges that more work needs to be done. "This week, the management board spent several hours discussing the challenge and the Commissioner has now asked for a new set of proposals to be drawn up before the Metropolitan Police Service launches its campaign later this year to recruit thousands more officers," said the spokesman.

"He has also asked for proposals around improving representation in senior ranks."
 
The Home Office says stop and search is a vital tool for police in the fight against crime, particularly knife crime. "But it must be used proportionately, without prejudice and with the support of local communities," stated a spokesman.
 
Today a memorial service will be held in London to remember the life of Stephen Lawrence and the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, set up in his name, will be releasing a call to action setting out five changes which they say are needed to ensure Stephen’s legacy for the next 20 years.