Black people are nearly six times more likely to be murdered in London than White people, according to a new report that found evidence of institutional racism in the capital’s police force.
(Bloomberg) — Black people are nearly six times more likely to be murdered in London than White people, according to a new report that found evidence of institutional racism in the capital’s police force.
The figure was revealed in a report on Tuesday that condemned the Metropolitan Police for exhibiting misogyny, homophobia and discrimination among its ranks. Led by former government advisor Louise Casey, the review was commissioned by the Met after one of its officers abducted and murdered Sarah Everard in 2021, but has also shone a spotlight on crime against minorities.
Black people are also more than two times as likely to be reported missing in the capital, according to police data. It’s not possible to compare the figures to show how things have changed over time because the data is largely not available to the public.
The statistics show how Black people, who make up just 13.5% of the capital’s population, are disproportionately affected by crime in London and give an indicator of why public confidence is falling in the Met police.
“Despite being subjected to substantially higher levels of policing in London, Black Londoners remain considerably more likely to be the victims of several serious and violent crimes than White Londoners,” Casey said in the report. “This leads to the view that London’s communities of colour are both over-policed and under-protected.”
Black Londoners’ perception of the police has tumbled to its lowest point in at least seven years in the wake of a string of scandals revealing racism in the police force, including officers taking pictures next to the bodies of two Black women.
Just a third of Black people in London think the Met do a good job, and only 14% think that the Met treats Black people fairly. Last year, two Black men, Chris Kaba and Oladeji Omishore, died after contact with the Met police.
Labour MP for Streatham Bell Ribeiro-Addy said Londoners should have more say in how the police force is run. “We need more transparency, better democratic oversight, more thorough vetting and zero tolerance towards officers who commit offences,” she said in an emailed statement. “There’s no room for defensiveness whilst officers accused of sexual misconduct and racist or homophobic behaviour are still in post.”
Mark Rowley, the Met Police Commissioner, said the police had let down the police and vowed to try and make amends. “Trust in policing among London’s Black and minority ethnic communities is far too low,” he said in an online statement.
The findings come more than two decades after the Macpherson report also uncovered deep failures and institutional racism in the force in its response to the murder of Stephen Lawrence, who was stabbed in a racially motivated attack.
A number of social justice groups, including the charities Stonewall and the Runnymede Trust, called for reform of the force and a rolling back of police powers in response to the findings.
“If we are to seriously reckon with the findings of Baroness Casey’s report, we have to start with the powers the police hold,” the groups said in an online statement.
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