Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 78
78
Accepted
Impetus for change from Stephen Lawrence Inquiry not sustained across all policing areas.
Conclusion
Secondly, the evidence we have gathered shows that the impetus for change from the “clarion call” of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry has not been sustained. In 1999 the House of Commons was told by the then Home Secretary that the changes required by the Macpherson report would “work only if they are systemic–embraced by the culture of the police force as well as in its practice, implemented in the mainstream of the service at every level”. Our findings have shown that whilst the mainstream of the service has changed substantially in some areas - for example on the response to racist crimes - in others such as recruitment, misconduct or community confidence, essential changes have yet to be embraced. (Paragraph 555) 190 The Macpherson Report: Twenty-two years on
Government Response Summary
The government asserts that significant progress has been made since the Macpherson Report, citing strengthened police accountability, improved data, a diverse recruitment drive, and measures outlined in the 'Inclusive Britain' report to tackle disparities.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Macpherson Report left an indelible mark on policing. Over the past two decades, since the report’s publication, significant progress has been made to address Sir William Macpherson’s findings. As a result, the way the police approach racially motivated crimes has changed beyond recognition since the terrible murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. Over the past few years, this Government has built on that progress. Police accountability has been strengthened with the reforms introduced to the police discipline and complaints systems in 2020 and significant improvements have been made to Home Office data collections to enable greater scrutiny of police activity broken down by ethnic group. Most significantly, the Government has made attracting more officers from a wide range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds a core ambition of its drive to recruit an extra 20,000 officers. The Home Office welcomes the Home Affairs Committee’s work to gather evidence on this progress and its report recognises that important improvements have taken place in policing. We also acknowledge that there is more to be done to improve the trust and confidence in policing from black and ethnic minority groups, and across all communities. The Government published its response to the report by the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (‘CRED’). The Government’s response to the CRED’s findings, Inclusive Britain, sets out a ground-breaking action plan to tackle negative disparities, promote unity and build a fairer Britain for all. The CRED report made 24 recommendations. The Government have considered and responded in detail to each one. In some cases, we have gone further than the report envisaged, to ensure that our action plan is as wide-reaching as possible and builds a fairer and more inclusive society in the long-term. Both reports made recommendations on the same issues, including recruitment and the use of police powers. We thank the Home Affairs Committee for their patience in awaiting the Inclusive Britain response published on 17 March 2022. This allowed the Home Office to provide a more full and detailed account of the important issues raised by the Committee. It is critical that we maintain public confidence in policing and as part of the Inclusive Britain response. the Home Office, with policing partners, will deliver a series of measures to improve accountability and tackle negative disparities.