My force is racist, says top cop

THE Chief Constable of Avon & Somerset Police says the force is “institutionally racist”.

Sarah Crew said the constabulary is also likely to have a culture of misogyny, homophobia and discrimination against people with disabilities.

In a statement published on the police website on June 16, Ms Crew said that the “system is unfair” on black and other ethnic minority people and vowed to put it right.

Her comments come in the wake of Baroness Carey’s review into the Metropolitan Police, published in March, which she said was a “catalyst for us to examine ourselves”, along with a damning report last year by Desmond Brown, a former chair of Bristol’s Commission for Race Equality, identifying "disproportionality" in areas including stop and search decisions.

Ms Crew said Mr Brown’s findings showed “clear evidence of differential experiences in the way we interact with people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, particularly those who are from black heritage communities”.

She said: "When it comes to race, I’m in no doubt that, by Baroness Casey’s criteria at least, Avon & Somerset Police is institutionally racist.

“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 & 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."

Ms Crew was accused of "virtue signalling" by Avon & Somerset Police Federation chairman Mark Loker, who represents rank-and-file officers.

In a statement responding to Ms Crew, Mr Loker said that while the police needed to have "difficult conversations" about racism, her words had done “nothing to drive change or amend culture”.

He said: “I contend that by our Chief declaring Avon & 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.

“We do not always get it right, but in the absence of any data that supports this position and states that we are ‘institutionally racist’, this is nothing more than virtue signalling.”

Both Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford and Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees have backed Ms Crew's comments.

By Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service