So the Met claims it isn't Institutionally racist

[RedMarauder]

I found this on the Huffington Post -
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/metropolitan-police_uk_603fa18ec5b617a7e411ffc5

Due to the fact local newspapers are now defunct so there isn't a journalist sitting in a local court to write their own reports, the Met sends out press/media reports. Anyway the Huffington Post found this:

According to data we obtained from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), 13,897 people were sentenced in London between July and December of 2019 – the most recent MoJ data of this type available. Some 3,540 were white and 2,298 Black.

Ethnicity data was unavailable for almost 6,000 people, and for the purposes of this investigation, HuffPost UK has removed them from the total.

In the same period, the Met Police published news releases on its public website and directly to journalists about 324 people who had been sentenced. Of these, 107 were white, while 141 were Black.

I suggest you read the article yourself using the link to see why the Met's actions are institutionally racist.

If you don't understand it is a problem then read this - www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/racism-in-police-media_uk_6049f3d6c5b6cf72d0945115

I should add I've sent emails to a couple of well-known media outlets in the past asking them why when they talk about crime statistics in general they were using black and brown faces. Sufficient other people must have complained as the photos were removed within 2 hours.

(If posters start trolling/derailing this thread myself and other black posters will ask you to be ignored.)

I think the squatters are going to conveniently miss this this thread. There's too much education here and they need to be conveniently ignorant of the truth for future squats.

I saw that first link about the Met being more likely to send out your mug shot if you are Black, worsening the media bias as the reporting is based on the information released by the police, and then playing into the wider bias of Black people being more dangerous and committing more crime.

It's dangerous and yet the Met continues to deny the racism staring them in the face. You can't fix a problem if you won't admit there is a problem.

And it's a vicious cycle with police officers believing the narrative that black people are more criminal and creating a self fulfilling prophecy by over policing black areas.

It's dangerous and yet the Met continues to deny the racism staring them in the face. You can't fix a problem if you won't admit there is a problem.

Yep.

I actually posted this because of the thread on black feminism and looking at news reports related to some of the issues brought up. I remembered Cressida Dick denying the Met was still institutionally racist and saw the Huffington Post article.

Cressida Dick's claims are recorded here:
www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/cressida-dick-met-not-institutionally-racist-a4524421.html

Note this:
The police chief said she regularly looked for signs of bias in the way the force operated, and that she was "horrified" to discover that black, Asian and minority ethnic staff in the Met were twice as likely to find themselves in a misconduct process.

Well clearly she isn't looking hard enough.

I thought they had been proved institutionally racist yeats ago after the enquiry into their investigation of Stephen Lawrence's murder. Can't see much has changed since then

If the top brass is saying the met is not institutionally racist, is it any wonder the police are still able to go about without impunity targeting young black people as they do. People are calling for Cressida to resign over the police actions at the vigil for Sarah, but I think she showed she was not fit to hold her position long before that.

I was involved in some stuff following the McPherson report.
It was all about rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, iyswim, (with the occasional decent person excepted).

There are new and good people coming through the ranks of the Police Service, to be fair, and the intake now is starting to represent the community is should serve.

However, these young people still have the likes of the Freemasons to face. The clever hidden racists. The sly ones who took the cushy jobs to get them off response, and don't give two figs about racism. It's like many other police authorities. It's more in the media because it's London.

So, reading these stats on the Huffington post.

Between July and December 2019 there were 13,897 people sentenced.
The Huff Post removes 6000 from that, who do not give their ethnicity.

Of the remainder....
3540 identify as White
2298 identify as Black

Pictures of 324 criminals from that pool are given to journos.
Of those...

107 White 141 Black.

( Presumably there are 76 who describe themselves in other minority groups . Which makes things even more skewed in my book)

Yep. Not looking good for the Met. I note that their Communications Department has no checks in place to prevent over representation of marginalised communities. Disgraceful.

I seem to have this effect on threads.....

😂😂😂 @EchoCardioGran I feel that way too. It's not you. This past week has been a lot., Sarah Everard, Piers Morgan doubling down on his comments, the RF's (and UK's) reaction and criticism of MM and (Harry? no somehow he is a manbaby who gets a pass as evil MM is manipulating him) and now this shooting in Atlantic targeting Asian women. Notnto mention the discussions on BMN, Sharon Osbourne and other headlines and whatever daily prejudice we face. I'm tired and exhausted. It's so important to engage on these matters but sometimes whoa we need to catch our breath!

Good to see you back though. I haven't seen your posts lately.

Back to this thread - these stats make me worry so much for my boys, no matter how respectable, well spoke, where they are etc they have a target on their back, but I can't lock them up indoors forever. It feels like they will always be looked at with a fine tooth comb, it's a scary thought as a mum, constantly thinking how to protect them

*The police chief said she regularly looked for signs of bias in the way the force operated, and that she was "horrified" to discover that black, Asian and minority ethnic staff in the Met were twice as likely to find themselves in a misconduct process..

You know some people really suit their names..........

@Benelovencd Wishing all good things to come for your boys. They've a great mother, so give yourself credit for all you do. My lot are grown up now. It's the grand children got me worried these days, and I'm a huge worrier. What a world this is!

Orchidflower Cressida Dick has been a huge disappointment, she just doesn't seem to have a clue. One of her ideas, I think, was to recruit 40 per cent BME for new recruits. That might make her figures look good to the Home Office, but I fear for young BME coming in to an institution little improved, ( if at all), since McPherson's time.

In theory, I'd like to see the police service representative of the communities they serve. In reality, I'd not be happy about my family members joining. Not for worry of the baddies on the street, but for some of the colleagues and uniformed baddies alongside them.

Thank you Echo, I guess we will always worry but knowing things like this just adds on the extra element you wish you didn't have to.

It's a true blessing to get to worry about GC (when one stage ends another starts hey😁😂).

But the dialogue makes me feel better as we can't ignore these things anymore. I hope that means change.

I'm ever the optimist Bene. Bit by bit a "change is gonna come."
I've got Otis Redding in my head now. Always guaranteed to make me blub a bit.

It's been a very strange year, one thing after another, as you said up thread. Yes, dialogue is important, very much so.

@EchoCardioGran

I seem to have this effect on threads.....

being able to write what you write is great on these threads. Please don't stop. People may not comment right way but we do read it.

Surely its not up to an institutionally racist body to decide if they are institutionally racist or not?
If they are being told there is widespread racism within their ranks, the appropriate response should be ‘ok, help us find it, help us stop it. Let’s get ourselves a Black commissioner who will do this.’

@Soontobe60

Surely its not up to an institutionally racist body to decide if they are institutionally racist or not? If they are being told there is widespread racism within their ranks, the appropriate response should be ‘ok, help us find it, help us stop it. Let’s get ourselves a Black commissioner who will do this.’

They've done that. already. ( Someone in from outside the Met) Surely, you must remember?

Back in 1997, instigated by Jack Straw, then Home Secretary.

Sir William MacPherson, a retired Judge from Scotland who produced 350 pages of damning report. Following the Stephen Lawrence murder, and collusion of detectives in the investigation.

Why make clearing out the rot the responsibility of one Black person? It's well over twenty years on, and still no one checks what the Communications Department says to the press ( for instance).

One Black person trying to sort it out, will not be met with co operation by the rotten apples. She or he, would be undermined, ignored, given misleading information in my opinion. Even the Police Federation (police union) has corruption within.

John Stalker, a leading police officer from Manchester, was supposed to investigate the RUC in Northern Ireland back in 1982, looking at " Shoot to kill". He was discredited, accused of colluding with Criminals etc. I don't doubt the same would happen again with one Black person set to sort the Met. Cressida Dick needs to get a grip on it all. It's not right to say " it's racism, so that's the job of a Black person to sort out".

Why? Why is it always Black people's burden to sort it out?

It needs a root and branch clear out, proper checks and balances, proper education ( not "training" , dogs are trained, people are educated)

As you can guess, it's something I feel very strongly about. So I'm not shouting at you, as it's a fair question to ask. iI's just I'm so cross about it all

Why? Why is it always Black people's burden to sort it out?

The problem is that it only those who are target disproportionally by the police are bothered in the UK to try and change police attitudes. Even then when they work with the police, like black officers and police staff, they get stopped and searched more than a white person in the same role.

When I was trying to find the name of a guy who tries to educate the police but still gets stopped and searched, and I found this -
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/stop-and-search-london-met-police-b1801106.html#r3z-addoor

*There are no black people in videos used to train Metropolitan Police officers on how to use stop and search powers, despite years of controversy over racial disproportionality.

The videos have been used for about four years, showing users different scenarios where stop and search could be used on potential suspects, and challenging them on what they would do.*

In short every time I look for something on the Met Police I come across a news article that shows they still have a massive problem.

The Met is too big, for starters. But people have their empires within it, and are resistant to change. Grimly clinging on to their Gold Command whilst expecting some footsoldier to implement a totally inappropriate approach ( thinking of the Vigil here). Because there is an arrogant mentality, " this is how we do it, and I've been in the job for a thousand years")

Checking that the videos represent the community, before they are used, knowing what your comms department are doing, should be page one stuff. It's not being done. It's not rocket science.

It needs a total reform, and the genuine political will to do it. Both outside and within.

Black senior officers are often expected to sort out the " diversity" issues. It's seen by many white officers as a tokenistic brief, a puppet appointment..." she only got the job because".

I'm not saying there aren't dedicated and able officers in the Met, there are, and they do their best within the structure they are in. But the structure is racist still.

The Met itself, as a body, needs reforming, instutionally, at high level. Move out those people who don't think they need any education.

It's not the eighteen year olds coming in who are the problem. It's the older cushy number/ freemasonry clique, clinging onto their old views and ways. Still on about " the riots" back in the day. I've heard them for myself.
One eye on their pension pots. They are the block to change. Cressida Dick knows this.

It's important to keep constantly exposing issues, speaking up, exposing it, until the pressure to reform wins through. It's a long road.

@EchoCardioGran
I dont think I made my point very well - I was trying to say that the Police are not able to make an impartial decision about whether they are institutionally racist or not. We already know that they are. Having a white commissioner who declares they aren’t wont bode well for change. Change can only be brought about if those leading that change fully understand the issues. I absolutely agree with everything you’ve written!

@Soontobe60 Sorry I misunderstood you. The airwaves are no substitute for seeing expressions and listening to voice tone. I think I've still got my hard hat on after someone carrying on at us here the other night. I do tend to go off on a rant at times.

Feel free to pull me up.
You've said it better ( and in fewer words !)