MPS outlines next steps to rebuild trust with black Londoners

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said its Race Action Plan was a step “in the right direction” but recognised “there remains a long way to go”.

The plan includes a new stop and search charter, which has been co-authored with black communities. This re-sets how stop and search should be carried out in London.

Research by Crest Advisory found that despite support for the principle of stop and search, there are deep misgivings among black adults about the way the powers are used and how they are treated by police. And less than a quarter of black children and teenagers say they trust police to stop and search them fairly.

Sir Mark stressed they are now “better understanding and acting on disproportionality wherever it exists”,  and is “determined to strengthen the relationship with black Londoners”.

The plan also outlines improvements in how the MPS records and monitors the ethnicity of drivers when making vehicle stops, with external scrutiny for greater transparency.

There will also be an overhaul of force policy on intimate searches of children – increasing the threshold and oversight, ensuring they only occur when necessary and proportionate.

“To better represent the communities we serve we’re working hard to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce that brings all the talents, experiences and perspectives of London to policing,” the MPS said.

“We’re also now training all new recruits so they understand the lived experience of black Londoners and other communities across the capital.

“We’ve committed to rooting out disparities in the Met’s misconduct system and have introduced focused workshops to improve promotion rates.”

The force says that as a result, since 2021 promotion pass rates for black officers has increased from 68 per cent to 75 per cent.

Sir Mark said: “This plan publicly sets out our next steps towards becoming a truly anti-racist and inclusive organisation.

“Black Londoners have been let down by the Met over many years and while we continue to take steps in the right direction, there remains a long way to go and there is a lot more work to do.

“Action not words will rebuild trust in our service, so we must now remain focused on delivering real change that is seen and felt by our communities and our workforce.

“We are changing our systems, our processes, culture and our leadership. We are better understanding and acting on disproportionality wherever it exists. We are working more closely than ever with communities we’ve let down to build a service that delivers for all of London.

“To achieve this critical change once and for all will take time, but I am determined that we will continue to strengthen our relationship with black Londoners – whether that be members of the public or our own colleagues – and renew the principle of policing by consent.”