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Chief constable: ‘Avon & Somerset Police is institutionally racist’
The chief constable of Avon & Somerset Police says that she is “in no doubt” that the organisation is institutionally racist.
In a statement, Sarah Crew said that the definition for institutional racism is “likely to be true for misogyny, homophobia and disability as well”.
Crew said that Avon & Somerset Police is tackling disproportionality in a number of ways including a new approach to stop and search, and supporting Black heritage victims of crime.
is needed now More than ever
“For some time now at Avon and Somerset Police, we’ve been discussing how we truly become an anti-racist police service,” said Crew, who became chief constable in 2021.
“The conversations have been compelling and inspiring and have helped us focus on the courageous steps we must take to turn this ambition into a reality.”
Just over a year since Desmond Brown’s report, ‘Identifying Disproportionality in the Avon and Somerset Criminal Justice System’, Crew said that the force has “been carefully working through Desmond’s recommendations and ensuring those lessons form a key part of our developing Race Action Plan”.
“Baroness Casey’s review into the Metropolitan Police, published in March, was another catalyst for us to examine ourselves.
“It’s been a stark reminder for policing as a whole that the need for real and profound change is essential if we’re to retain the public’s trust and confidence.
“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 none-the-less.
“Since the publication of the review, I’ve been encouraging conversations and debate within my organisation, more specifically around institutional racism.
“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.”
Crew added: “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.
“Not being racist is no longer good enough, not for me and not for any of us. It is no longer okay to be a bystander and do nothing; to be part of a system that disadvantages one group of people over another.
“As for the few who do demonstrate attitudes and behaviours which are racist or discriminatory, we remain on a mission to root them out. They shouldn’t be in policing and we don’t want them here.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- MP and serving officers join condemnation of unlawful police raid
- St Paul’s woman left feeling ‘targeted’ after police raid on her home
- Tackling disproportionality in the criminal justice system
- ‘Our police need bold reform, that’s what I’m offering Avon & Somerset’
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