Anti-racism police team accused of racism

Britain’s anti-racism police programme has itself been accused of racism.

Former members of staff at the Police Race Action Plan, which was set up to build better relationships with black communities after the murder of George Floyd in the US by a white police officer in 2020, have claimed that black workers were treated differently from their white colleagues.

A black former staff member, who asked to remain anonymous, told BBC Newsnight they believed black workers were seen as “troublemakers or difficult”, with no more support offered as workloads increased.

“It was openly questioned if black people were even needed to work on the plan. I increasingly felt my voice and - at times - my lived and professional experience were being ignored,” they said.

Another former worker said the entire process left them “completely disillusioned”.

‘Perplexing behaviours’

They said: “The fact that these behaviours [racism] have been displayed on a programme that set out with the good intention to ‘improve the experience for black people working in or interacting with police’ was perplexing, and left me thinking at times how serious the police were in wanting to make tangible change.”

Developed by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the race action plan claims to “make policing anti-racist” and “not over-police” black people by tackling racial disparities in stop and search, arrests and homicides.

When it was published last May, the plan said: “We accept that policing still contains racism, discrimination and bias. We are ashamed of those truths, we apologise for them and we are determined to change them.

“We have much to do to secure the confidence of black people, including our own staff, and improve their experience of policing - and we will.”

Gas-lighting claims

The programme said it had seen documents which showed complaints made by people from ethnic minorities.

Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, said officers had “been gas-lit” as part of the plan and made to feel they were loud and challenging.

In May, The Telegraph disclosed that the man in charge of the race plan, Deputy Chief Constable Tyron Joyce of West Yorkshire Police - one of the most senior black officers in the UK - retired after allegations of bullying and discrimination were made about him. He has not commented on this.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, the NPCC’s chairman and Police Race Action Plan lead, told BBC Newsnight: “We will be issuing a refreshed action plan that I am confident will deliver the change in our workforce, and the communities we serve, need and deserve. We must be judged on action and not words.

“I am not aware of any official complaints or allegations relating to racism. However, I am deeply saddened to hear of the experiences expressed in this report. It is a stark reminder of why we must drive change across policing and we are more galvanised than ever to achieve this.”