http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...ly-racist.html
Police 'still institutionally racist'
The police force is still institutionally racist despite efforts to tackle the issue, a review by the Runnymede Trust has claimed.
The report by the influential Runnymede Trust criticised the failure to promote and retain black officers and the overuse of stop and search techniques against black and multi-ethnic groups.
And some police forces are still "dragging their feet" when it comes to recording and reporting racist crimes, it was claimed.
The findings come from the Runnymede Trust review, 'The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry 10 Years On'.
Black teenager Stephen Lawrence was killed in an unprovoked racist knife attack by a group of white youths in April 1993.
Ten years ago, the Macpherson Inquiry severely criticised the police for its handling of the subsequent murder investigation.
The Runnymede Trust singled out the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for praise for its work on recording and monitoring data related to racist incidents.
But the review found that in the intervening years since the inquiry, there were still significant problems.
It claimed that black and multi-ethnic officers were more likely to be dismissed than their white colleagues.
A disproportionate amount of black and multi-ethnic officers were also found to be leaving their careers in the police force early.
And more work was still needed to get black and multi-ethnic people into the police.
The report said: "While much is made of the fact that the percentage of officers from these backgrounds has doubled between 1999 and 2008, in reality this is only from a relatively low starting-point of 2% to approximately 4%.
"This is considerably below the national target (7%) set for the police service overall.
"At the end of 2008, almost half of the 43 forces in England and Wales had not reached the employment target for black and minority ethnic officers set by Home Secretary Jack Straw almost 10 years earlier in 1999."
In 1999 black men were six times more likely to be targeted for stop and search techniques, but in 2008 they were seven times more likely to undergo the same procedure than white counterparts.
The report stated: "Ten years after the publication of the Inquiry report, there is still significant progress to be made - notably in relation to the career experiences of black and minority ethnic officers and the disproportionate use of stop and search procedures against Black groups.
"It is difficult, in light of these continued challenges, to argue that the charge of institutional racism no longer applies."
Rob Berkeley, director of the Runnymede Trust, said: "I think it can be said that the police are still institutionally racist.
"There's lots of controversy about the term, but if they were in 1999 they still are in 2009."
The review mirrors a recent report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
It raised concerns about the disproportionate number of black and Asian people stopped and searched in most force areas, the high proportion of black men recorded on the DNA database and the fact that twice as many ethnic minority recruits drop out in their first six months of service compared to their white counterparts.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are determined to work with the police service to offer fair and equal opportunities to all its members, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or background.
"We have already come a long way: over the last 10 years minority ethnic officer representation in the police service has doubled.
"Following our own ministerial assessment we are driving forward initiatives to overcome any remaining barriers in minority ethnic recruitment, retention and progression in the police."
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How to whip up racial hatred where there is none. Everyone from the Runneymede trust should be shot. Prefrably somewhere so it takes several hours to die in agony.
Police 'still institutionally racist'
The police force is still institutionally racist despite efforts to tackle the issue, a review by the Runnymede Trust has claimed.
The report by the influential Runnymede Trust criticised the failure to promote and retain black officers and the overuse of stop and search techniques against black and multi-ethnic groups.
And some police forces are still "dragging their feet" when it comes to recording and reporting racist crimes, it was claimed.
The findings come from the Runnymede Trust review, 'The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry 10 Years On'.
Black teenager Stephen Lawrence was killed in an unprovoked racist knife attack by a group of white youths in April 1993.
Ten years ago, the Macpherson Inquiry severely criticised the police for its handling of the subsequent murder investigation.
The Runnymede Trust singled out the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for praise for its work on recording and monitoring data related to racist incidents.
But the review found that in the intervening years since the inquiry, there were still significant problems.
It claimed that black and multi-ethnic officers were more likely to be dismissed than their white colleagues.
A disproportionate amount of black and multi-ethnic officers were also found to be leaving their careers in the police force early.
And more work was still needed to get black and multi-ethnic people into the police.
The report said: "While much is made of the fact that the percentage of officers from these backgrounds has doubled between 1999 and 2008, in reality this is only from a relatively low starting-point of 2% to approximately 4%.
"This is considerably below the national target (7%) set for the police service overall.
"At the end of 2008, almost half of the 43 forces in England and Wales had not reached the employment target for black and minority ethnic officers set by Home Secretary Jack Straw almost 10 years earlier in 1999."
In 1999 black men were six times more likely to be targeted for stop and search techniques, but in 2008 they were seven times more likely to undergo the same procedure than white counterparts.
The report stated: "Ten years after the publication of the Inquiry report, there is still significant progress to be made - notably in relation to the career experiences of black and minority ethnic officers and the disproportionate use of stop and search procedures against Black groups.
"It is difficult, in light of these continued challenges, to argue that the charge of institutional racism no longer applies."
Rob Berkeley, director of the Runnymede Trust, said: "I think it can be said that the police are still institutionally racist.
"There's lots of controversy about the term, but if they were in 1999 they still are in 2009."
The review mirrors a recent report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
It raised concerns about the disproportionate number of black and Asian people stopped and searched in most force areas, the high proportion of black men recorded on the DNA database and the fact that twice as many ethnic minority recruits drop out in their first six months of service compared to their white counterparts.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are determined to work with the police service to offer fair and equal opportunities to all its members, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or background.
"We have already come a long way: over the last 10 years minority ethnic officer representation in the police service has doubled.
"Following our own ministerial assessment we are driving forward initiatives to overcome any remaining barriers in minority ethnic recruitment, retention and progression in the police."
====================
How to whip up racial hatred where there is none. Everyone from the Runneymede trust should be shot. Prefrably somewhere so it takes several hours to die in agony.
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