Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Acknowledged
Assessment of Macpherson report recommendations reveals urgent challenges in policing progress
Conclusion
Our inquiry does not attempt to replicate the work of the forensic judge-led Stephen Lawrence Inquiry twenty-two years on, nor to replicate the many other wider reports about racism and race equality since then. But we have assessed progress against some of the most important Macpherson report recommendations: on community confidence, on tackling racist crimes, on recruitment and retention of Black and other minority ethnic officers and staff, on the use of stop and search and other powers, and on Sir William’s overall aim of the elimination of racism and the demonstration of fairness in policing. As our report shows, addressing the shortcomings in these areas is an urgent challenge. (Paragraph 26) Confidence in policing among BME communities
Government Response Summary
The Ministry of Justice has developed guidance for commissioners to support ethnic minority victims, focusing on improving service effectiveness and engagement, while the Home Office is exploring ways to understand the experiences of victims from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
As part of its commitment to better understand and challenge racial disparity in the criminal justice system, the Ministry of Justice has developed guidance for commissioners, including Police and Crime Commissioners, around effectively supporting ethnic minority victims through the local support services they commission. The guidance aims to improve the effectiveness of services, and the level of engagement between victim support services and ethnic minority victims. It is structured around three quality standards: understanding needs; addressing barriers; and raising awareness. The Government has ensured that key stakeholders have fed into the development of the guidance so that it meets the needs of victims. As committed to in the Beating Crime Plan, the Home Office is exploring ways to better understand victims’ experiences of policing in order to drive excellence in the service provided. This work includes a particular focus on the experiences of victims from ethnic minority backgrounds. We will continue to engage with the Victims Commissioner as we take this forward. The Government is also continuing to address the complex reasons why some groups, including some ethnic minorities, are more likely to be victims of crime. Recruitment and progression of BME officers and staff Replied together The Home Office must set out a new framework and strategy to increase BME recruitment and ensure that all forces commit to action, not just some. We recommend that the Government agrees minimum targets for the recruitment of BME officers with each constabulary reflecting the respective composition of its local population, in order to achieve at least 14% of officers nationally by 2030. These should include immediate targets for this year’s new BME recruitment to reflect the proportion of BME residents in the local community as well as longer term targets for representation across the force. A national strategy should be drawn up by the National Policing Board drawing together the Home Secretary, the NPCC and other policing organisations, setting out a clear plan with a timeline, rigorous scrutiny on progress and remedial measures for failure to achieve these targets. The Home Secretary must also set clear, measurable race equality objectives for individual police forces in relation to ethnic diversity, retention and progression, performance against which should be reported annually. We recommend that the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners works with Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to enable force level comparison, and shared learning from different PCCs’ approaches to addressing race equality in recruitment to the police service.