Avon and Somerset Police 'institutionally racist' says Chief Constable
Watch Robert Murphy's report and interview with Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police Sarah Crew
The Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police Sarah Crew says she believes her own force is institutionally racist.
It comes a little more than a year since the Independent Chair of a recent review, Desmond Brown, identified disproportionality in the criminal justice system in the area.
The report found black people are four times more likely to be stopped and searched in Bristol, five times in Somerset and five and a half times in the Bath or South Gloucestershire area.
It also made 83 recommendations for improvements.
Sarah Crew said: "I recognise the issues around race, sexism and homophobia at Avon and Somerset Police. Perhaps not as stark as we’ve seen elsewhere, but they are here nonetheless.
"When it comes to race, I’m in no doubt that, by Baroness Casey’s criteria at least, Avon and Somerset Police is institutionally racist."
Ms Crew examined her force's performance based on Baroness Louise Casey's criteria.
Baroness Casey investigated the performance of the Metropolitan Police following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer.
The Casey Review set four tests on institutional racism:
1. There are racists and people with racist attitudes within the organisation.
2. Staff and officers from black heritage and ethnically/racially minoritised backgrounds experience racism at work and it is routinely ignored, dismissed or not spoken about.
3. Racism and racial bias are reinforced within systems.
4. The force under-protects and over-polices black heritage people.
The Chief Constable said: "I must accept that the definition fits. I think it’s likely to be true for misogyny, homophobia, and disability as well, though the gaps in the data don’t give us the sense of scale, impact, or certainty that we have for race.
"I need to be clear: I’m not talking about what’s in the hearts and minds of most people who work for Avon and Somerset Police. This is about recognising the structural and institutional barriers that exist and which put people at a disadvantage in the way they interact with policing because of their race."
The Police Federation has strongly disputed the claims and says making declarations of institutional racism does nothing to "drive change or amend culture".
Chair Mark Loker believes "this is nothing more than virtue signalling.".
He said: "I contend that by our Chief declaring Avon and Somerset as 'institutionally racist' this will create a false narrative and actually drive a divide between our officers and the communities this is intended to assist."
Avon and Somerset Police say they are working on tackling disproportionality by adopting a new stop-and-search approach and giving regular training. They are also using deferred prosecution by introducing a "chance to change" programme that has led to a reduction in offending for 18-24-year-olds and by supporting black heritage victims of crime.