This really should be a complete scandal.
The level of disproportionality in police stop/search activity - and the public's acceptance of it - says, I think, as much about us as it does about the police. Despite all the advances in 'race' relations over the last 20-30 years I suspect there are many who think it's OK that Black and Asian people are 10 times more likely to be stopped than their White counterparts. That this is far far in excess of any differences in offending behaviour that can be identified doesn't seem to matter.
Indeed, the bias in police activity might even be one reason why some people appear so convinced that people from ethnic minorities are more involved in crime (something which, at the aggregate level, there's no evidence for whatsoever, although it may be true that some people from some minority groups are more involved in some types of crime than similar people from other groups - almost certainly because of variation in socio-economic conditions). A variation on the no smoke without fire argument, perhaps.
The police service itself, an organisation (genuinely, I think) interested in trying to develop better ways of dealing with increasing diversity and multi-culturalism, appears positively schizophrenic on this. Quite apart from the ethical and legal considerations, allowing this state of affairs to continue surely presents a massive barrier to police attempts to improve 'community relations', something which sits right in the middle of many current policies and strategies, from neighbourhood policing to Prevent.
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...this is one of the moments where what the majority or 'the public' thinks ('It's o.k. minorities get S&S disproportionately often, surely this happens for good reason and isn't police officers indulging in racist stereotyping') and engaging with the (that) public starts feeling a wee bit wrong and the concerns of 'the public' need to be taking with a pinch of salt...just like responding to 'teenageers hanging around' concerns by ASBOing everything that wears a hoody makes crumpy grannies happy and alienates those who pay their pensions.
ReplyDeleteI guess this why genuinely democractic countries usually have a constitution and laws to guide their policies, and don't leave basic human/citizen rights up to the current mood of the Daily Mail mob, even when they constitute the majority of 'the public'...
Indeed. I think as some wise people said recently:
ReplyDelete"the need of the police to show active engagement with and responses to local people's priorities may shade over into a much more negative ‘taking of sides’, such as if police appear to, or do, favour one party over another in neighbourhood disputes, or if specific groups are singled out as having had action taken against them without a balancing recognition of what needs to be done for them."
Although I don't think it has much to do with not having a written constitutions - I strongly suspect you'd get very similar figures for France, for example, if they dared collect them (which is highly unlikely in itself).
...a agree, written or not doesn't make a difference for the purpose and the fact that day to day policing should be in line with it.
ReplyDeleteI like the quote ;)