News

Forces face legal action


28/ 6/2004

FOURTEEN police forces, including Greater Manchester Police, may face legal action accused of breaking the law by failing too implement anti-racist policies.
The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) have given the alleged law-breaking forces 90 days to comply with race equality laws or face legal action which could end up with chief constables being jailed.
The move follows a CRE investigation into how police forces are implementing new legislation aimed at ridding the police of racism and encouraging ethnic minority recruitment and promotion.
A report on the study says the three man investigating team lead by top QC Sir David Calvert Smith, had been "overwhelmed" by the nature and frequency of reported racist behaviour.
Of the 15 forces examined in detail the report says that all but one had race equality plans so poor that they break the equality laws.
It is particularly scathing about police race equality training concluding there is evidence that they are resented and even used by white officers to cover up their racism.
One organisation representing ethnic minority officers told the investigators that on the courses: "Nearly all of the instructors were white and that they had felt bullied by them. They talked of a dominant 'bar culture' which they felt reinforced macho and anti-diversity attitudes and excluded participants from minority groups who abjured alcohol or heavy drinking."
One Muslim officer told of how he was excluded from training activities and found curry smeared on his room door.
Another officer told of a trainer exclaiming: "You've done the diversity. That's a load of b---s. Now let's get on with the real stuff."
There was even fears among some officers interviewed that the anti-racism courses were producing "stealth racists" who use the 'right' language to cover up racist attitudes.
The report also express concern over the way recruits are screened for racist attitudes.
Statistics show that far more ethnic minority applicants are 'screened out' than whites. Around 30 per cent of Asian applicants fall at this stage while 40 per cent of Chinese applicants fail - over double the proportion of whites 'screened-out'.
The CRE say there is virtually no possibility this is a chance outcome and say they will investigate the way race screening is being implemented further,.
The report also criticises they way police forces fight allegations of race discrimination to the very end - a process that often takes years.
It says: "The perception is that there is no limit to the resources that will be made available to defend race cases, that the force will fight every case, regardless of its merit, and that it will only consider settlement in the face of inevitable defeat, and often at the last possible moment. It may be that this is inevitable in the context of legal proceedings, but officers felt that they had no alternative but to issue proceedings, as there was little opportunity to resolve their complaints internally."
It says ethnic minority officers often see the individuals found responsible for racial discrimination by an employment tribunal not being dealt with by the force and going on to advance their careers or retiring on full pensions.
In a comment on the report's findings CRE chairman Trevor Philips said: "The time for chat and discussion is over. If you are a law enforcement agency, the best place to start is by obeying the law yourself."
The deputy chief constable for Greater Manchester Police, Alan Green, said: "I don't thing we have gone wrong. We accept that in the eyes of the CRE we are partially non-compliant."


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