Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 83
83
Acknowledged
Macpherson report's early momentum on race equality was not sustained
Conclusion
The Macpherson report led to major changes in attitudes towards racism and to progress on race equality both in policing and across society. However that early momentum was not sustained and persistent problems were not addressed. Now that there is a new focus on challenging racism and on the very same objectives set out by the Macpherson report, it is vital that this time progress is sustained and made permanent. It will take a focused, sustained and determined effort on the part of all policing institutions and Government to address those structural The Macpherson Report: Twenty-two years on 191 problems that stand in the way of eliminating racist prejudice and disadvantage, and demonstrating fairness in all aspects of policing—the ambition of the Macpherson report twenty-two years ago. (Paragraph 560) Delivery and Accountability
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the committee's report and emphasizes the significant progress made in policing since Macpherson, including reforms, improved data collection, and diverse recruitment. It refers to the "Inclusive Britain" response for future measures to enhance accountability and address disparities.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
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.