It does matter if I'm Black or white!

[vetran]

Stuart Lawrence's racism complaint passed to police watchdog | UK news | guardian.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence's brother lodges racism complaint against Met police | UK news | guardian.co.uk

Lawrence said: "I am being targeted because of the colour of my skin, I don't think it's because I am Stephen's brother. Whenever I have been stopped, I have never subsequently been charged with anything, and nothing has ever been found to be wrong with my car.

"I have never, ever, done anything wrong. I have never been in trouble with the law. I have paid my road tax and my insurance, and always tried to keep my cars in a roadworthy state.

"Of the 25 or so occasions in which I have been stopped, only two have been at police checkpoints – where they are verifying people's tax and insurance. The rest have been random stops."

So does it happen?
How do we stop it?

[BrilloPad]

So does it happen?

No. He is telling porkies.

[Troll]

• 54 per cent of London's street crimes are committed by black men.
• Police hold black men responsible for more than two-thirds of shootings and more than half of robberies in London

Is it then reasonable for police officers to target member of that community within London?

[darmstadt]

Many years ago I could be guaranteed to be stopped a minumum of once a week and up to 3 times a week and I don't think it was the colour of my skin as that is definitely not black. Maybe he should not be driving a Ford Capri MK 1 or Ford Escort MK1 late at night


(They came to my front door once and my mother gave them a right bollocking and it basically stopped...)

[Troll]

When I was in my late teens I could guarantee being stopped by the fuzz at least twice a week when I went out by car or by motorbike

Usually there was no reason for doing so other than being of an age demographic

I was on first name terms with the desk boys at the local cop shop when producing my documents

I am not black

[vetran]

No. He is telling porkies.

If he is then it seems like one to easily dispel? All stop's require a stop & search form, I would expect his Lawyers will have asked for copies or witnesses before they agreed to act.

I suspect Troll is correct in some of the statistics and Black men are severely over represented in crime statistics therefore more likely to be stopped.

However I was listening to LBC yesterday and there were a lot of people saying that not only were many people with respectable jobs being stopped far more frequently due to their colour some of the ways they were treated were most disrespectful. Some whites also pointed out they were stopped more frequently when out with Black friends, there didn't seem to be any intelligence led policing involved.

I suspect this is a minority in the Police but how do we stamp it out?

[BrilloPad]

I suspect this is a minority in the Police but how do we stamp it out?

I still believe he will be proven incorrect. But lets see.

But there are a minority in the police who are bad apples. Its impossible to stamp out.

[SimonMac]

• 54 per cent of London's street crimes are committed by black men.
• Police hold black men responsible for more than two-thirds of shootings and more than half of robberies in London

Is it then reasonable for police officers to target member of that community within London?

If 54% of London's street crime are committed by black men it is safe to assume 46% are not, I wonder if the stop and search ratio is the same?

[administrator]

• 54 per cent of London's street crimes are committed by black men.
• Police hold black men responsible for more than two-thirds of shootings and more than half of robberies in London

Is it then reasonable for police officers to target member of that community within London?

It would be reasonable to target black men for 54 - 66% of the stop and searches then, any more than that is a statistical bias that would suggest the met are a bunch of racists. Also some stats to show what percentage of black men go through life never having committed an offence would be helpful in this discussion, targeting people simply due to colour is enough to make the good people in that sector of society turn against it IMO.

[BrilloPad]

If 54% of London's street crime are committed by black men it is safe to assume 46% are not, I wonder if the stop and search ratio is the same?

But if blacks make up, say, 10% of the population shouldn't they be stopped 4.5 more frequently?