Future of anti-racism work in policing remains unclear, new ISOB report finds

The Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board’s (ISOB) annual report published on Thursday (July 17) is calling for urgent action recommending that policing and central government must now turn to creating permanent structures to ensure that focus on anti-racism work continues past March 2026.

With just eight months of central funding left before PRAP becomes the sole responsibility of local forces, the ISOB warns that delivery risks stalling without clearer leadership, planning, and accountability.

The report recognises progress, such as:

• The development of the upcoming Maturity Matrix — a first of its kind public-facing dashboard to track anti-racism delivery against outcomes at force level; and
• Positive delivery in local forces, such as Avon and Somerset Constabulary where acknowledgment of institutional racism and further work has driven deeper accountability and new training initiatives

However, the report draws attention to continued racial disparities in stop and search, use of force and workforce outcomes, and poor data collection on ethnicity, limiting the ability to track progress or to spot harm

It also highlights gaps in local scrutiny and community involvement and inconsistent commitment by forces at local levels and by chiefs at national levels.

There is also an emotional toll on black police officers and staff, many of whom report feeling unsupported or unsafe

The ISOB says the Home Office must address data gaps; formalise inspection against PRAP; coordinate community and expert-led scrutiny; and take a hands-on approach with local forces and police leadership to push them towards anti-racism delivery.

In addition, the PRAP central team must lay the groundwork to ensure the successful rollout of the Maturity Matrix

The ISOB says national policing leads must take a “proactive role” in delivering PRAP by strengthening strategic oversight and planning beyond March 2026. This includes agreeing a clear and achievable timetable for delivery, regular monitoring of progress and direct engagement with civil society organisations and anti-racism experts.

Chair of the ISOB, Abimbola Johnson, said: “As chair, I have seen real dedication from many individuals working hard to move PRAP forward. However, I have also seen how difficult it is to shift systems and cultures that were never designed with racial equity at their core.

“We remain concerned by a lack of clarity about which police forces are meeting their objectives, and more importantly, insight into what enables or hinders their success. The development of the Maturity Matrix over the last year has been key in reassuring us that there is still a viable legacy for PRAP that can contribute to meaningful accountability and push policing towards anti-racist delivery. However there is a significant amount of work to be done to ensure that its rollout will be successful.

“Despite the central team and key partners’ hard work and experience accumulated over the past four years, knowledge has not been systematically captured or shared in ways that reassure us of a smooth transition beyond March 2026, when central funding for the programme ends.

“Disparities in key areas persist, poor data collection remains a significant issue. Communities, local forces and national police leads have raised concerns about a lack of coordination and the absence of practical tools to support continued delivery and scrutiny. At the same time, we do not believe police leadership has consistently pushed PRAP to achieve its potential either through championing it, locally prioritising it, or through constructively and meaningfully scrutinising and challenging PRAP’s work.”

T/Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dr Alison Heydari, PRAP programme director, said: “I would like to thank Abi and the rest of the ISOB board for their continued dedication and diligence. They offer robust, constructive scrutiny of the plan’s development and share our desire to deliver meaningful change.

“This is the third annual report ISOB has published and you can see improvement in the plan’s progress through these reports. All the recommendations from last year, such as developing detailed performance metrics and increasing engagement, are recognised as areas of progress in this year’s document, and we are working across policing and with partners to deliver the calls to action identified by ISOB this year.

“Policing has made strides forward since the plan was launched. Black representation is up by 25 per cent among police officers, race disparity has fallen in a whole range of police powers, while the number of officers dismissed “for discriminatory behaviour has quadrupled, reflecting our commitment at the outset of this plan to take a zero-tolerance approach to racism.

“However, I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge. More must be done, especially as local forces take greater ownership of the plan from next year. The Police Race Action Plan is a long term commitment that policing must continue, which will benefit all the communities we serve.”

Commenting on policing, anti-racism and leadership in the report, Avon and Somerset Constabulary Chief Constable Sarah Crew said: “One of the clearest lessons I have learned is that there is no easy fix. This work requires commitment, persistent effort and urgency.

“There are no shortcuts. Acknowledging institutional racism is only the starting point. What matters is what we do next, and whether our actions match our intentions.”

The report also includes written contributions from the Runnymede Trust, Just for Kids Law including the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, the National Black Police Association, and others. They highlight that although the current system is not delivering the change that was promised there are reasons why it can still succeed.

The Runnymede Trust said: “PRAP’s vision to create an anti-racist police service is by all means laudable. But reducing harm and criminalised behaviour should be its ultimate goal. Its focus on improving trust and confidence assumes policing practices are legitimate.

“Instead, we should be following the evidence base that dismisses diversity initiatives as effective in reducing racially disproportionate outcomes, and repeatedly shows that the police and punitive measures are not the best way to prevent harm and disorder.”