CROYDON BME SPECIAL COVERAGE INSIDE: The Voice & Croydon BME Forum SUMMIT
i Rebuilding Croydon together
p22
i New policing model unveiled
p27
i Dealing with illegal exclusions p28
COMMUNITY
Question Time
AUGUST1 - 7, 2013
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22 | THE VOICE AUGUST1 - 7, 2013
BME SUPPLEMENT
Community must pull together to make borough successful,says expert panel By Natricia Duncan
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ISGRUNTLED CROYDON residents were urged by a panel of community representatives to support local leaders and get involved in rebuilding their community at a recent BME Forum Question Time at Croydon Town Hall. The event, the first in a series of planned forums, was organised by Nero Ughwujabo, chief executive of Croydon BME Forum, in association with The Voice. It gave residents the opportunity to raise their concerns to a panel of community representatives, chaired by the newspaper’s managing director, George Ruddock, and included Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell, Croydon Council leader Mike Fisher, Chief Superintendent Dave Musker and the leader of Croydon opposition, Labour councillor Tony Newman. Attendees, who felt they were bearing the brunt of austerity-driven reforms, voiced their discontent. REGENERATION With fiery passion they challenged their leaders on a range of issues around housing, welfare, policing and crime, education, health, regeneration and the distribution of services between the north and south of the borough. As the debate raged, stop and search, which is now under review in a consultation ordered by the Home Office, emerged as one of the most contentious matters. Residents told stories of heavy-handed and unfair police action. Activist Kwadwo Kyerewaa described the policy as “ineffective”, “open to abuse” and “self-defeating”. He pointed to research which shows black people are seven times more likely to be subjected to stop and search, and evidence that
only a tenth of these actions result in arrest. “What is that if not a racial bias?” he asked. Panellist Javel Nelson, a member of Croydon Youth Parliament, said the community has lost faith in the force and called on the police to “strengthen bridges”. Musker admitted that stop and search is a longstanding problem that the country has “failed to address over the last 40 years.” But he defended his force, insisting that his officers are young, tolerant and multicultural men and women who understand that racism will not be tolerated. He said: “There is no place in the Metropolitan Police for somebody who uses the enormous power we are invested with, in a way that is disproportionate or discriminatory.” STRATEGY He also justified the need for the policy, describing it as a powerful preventative tool in the fight against crime. Musker urged the community to consider the “motivation” for his officers who sometimes have to “knock on a door and tell a mum, her son did not make it.” As youth and gang crime continued to come under the spotlight, Barwell stressed that it is not just about policing, but more about joined-up services that will address root issues such as domestic violence and the destructive environment to which some children are subjected. He also highlighted the importance of ensuring that those who end up in the criminal justice system are not just punished, but are given tailored support for “the underlying issues in their lives… to help them get back on the right track.” Panellist Karen Ruby, manager of Job Centre Plus (JCP), described the organisation’s role in working with a number of commu-
Rebuilding
(TOP LEFT TO RIGHT) PANEL MEMBERS: Nero Ughwujabo, chief executive of Croydon BME Forum. Croydon Central MP, Garvin Barwell (BOTTOM RIGHT) Councillor Tony Newman and Mike Fisher, leader of Croydon Council (MAIN PHOTO)Forum panelists
nity groups to provide an “exit strategy” from gangs and criminal activities and provide access to education, employment and training. Ughwujabo urged the community to take ownership of the problem. He said: “The BME community in Croydon is about 47 per cent and is growing. By any measure we are significant stakeholders in this borough.” He encouraged residents to be “part of the solution”. Councillor Newman pointed out that many of the issues on the table were related and urged the panel not to “take the questions in isolation”. PILOTING “If people have got a job and a decent house and… they have a stake, a part, an ownership… then there’s a much greater chance that there will be a real pride in the community and a resistance to anybody or anything damaging that community,” he said. With damning figures which show homelessness
at an eight-year high, and black families in Croydon as twice as likely to be affected, the focus turned to the impact of the benefits cap. Croydon was one of four boroughs piloting the scheme and Barwell justified his government’s policy. He said: “It is wrong to ask people in work to give people out of work a better standard of living than the average worker.” Fisher explained that the cap addressed abuses and gave the example of a man with a £900 per week claim, who said that work will affect his social life. But Newman accused the government of sidestepping the issue of rent control and the “overwhelming sums of money” that are paid to landlords on behalf of benefit recipients. However, Barwell and Fisher insisted that the cap has already proven a success, putting a hundred claimants in Croydon back into work and causing “lots of people” to withdraw their claims. Barwell admitted that small numbers have been
affected adversely, but said they were being supported by a £1.7 million discretionary housing payments initiative. Other issues raised included concerns about exclusion rates, and the perceived inequalities between the north and south of Croydon. Members of the public described the north as being disproportionately deprived, and Ughwujabo talked about anger from parts of the community who feel they are being “completely neglected”. ADMITTED According to panelist, GP Commissioner Dr Angelo Fernandes, the population in the north is younger and more diverse and therefore has unique needs particularly in terms of health. He said: “There are pockets in the south which are deprived, but there are major differences in the north of the borough and we need to address that.” But Fisher stressed: “There is no differentiation in terms of the amount of
investment in any part of the borough.” He highlighted recent improvements and investments in the north such as new schools and the tackling of antisocial behaviour. Barwell spoke about the importance of investing in the whole of the borough as he answered questions about the failings of the riots compensation scheme, which has left some residents still awaiting awards two years on. However, the panel recognised the progress that the borough had made since the devastation of the 2011 riots. They admitted that there are no easy solutions to the range of issues that were presented at the forum, but agreed that “behaving as a community” and drawing on the strengths of the voluntary sector is an important first step. Ughwujabo stressed the significance of the event and urged the community to work toward influencing decision-making in Croydon and creating positive change.
AUGUST1 - 7, 2013 THE VOICE | 27
BME SUPPLEMENT
Croydon Together QUESTION TIME: Members of the audience took the opportunity to air their concerns and swap solutions at BME Forum
New policing model unveiled
C
OME OCTOBER a new neighbourhood policing model will be implemented in Croydon to target street crime and antisocial behaviour. Planned changes include a significant increase in the number of officers and a drive towards working much more closely with the community. Police teams will be assigned to clusters of wards and given flexibility to create a tailored tactic to deal with issues in their locality. The borough, which was one of the key areas affected by the widespread 2011 England riots, has been forced to make cuts in line with austerity measures. But Borough Commander Chief Supt Musker is optimistic about his team’s prospects. He said: “Croydon is a challenging place to police. With the highest population in London, an extremely diverse mix of communities and an urban and rural landscape, it has it all. We’ll be changing the way we operate, which ultimately, should enable us to deliver a better service to local people. “I’m confident that with the changes we’re making… we will be in an even better position to cut crime and improve confidence here in Croydon.”
(ABOVE) OPTIMISTIC: Borough Commander Chief Superintendent David Musker
TOUGH QUESTIONS: Members of the public attending the BME Forum Question Time quiz panelists during the Q&A.
28 | THE VOICE AUGUST1 - 7, 2013
‘Croydon schools not dealing with illegal exclusions’ By Natricia Duncan
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CHOOL EXCLUSION figures do not take into account “illegal exclusions” and are not to be trusted, warned the chair of governors of education charity and exclusion centre Croydon Africa Caribbean Family Organisation (CACFO). Statistics released by the Department of Education (DfE) last week proved that there is no change in the disproportionality of expulsions, with Black Caribbean and White stu-
dents three times more likely to be affected than the school population as a whole. It also revealed higher than average numbers of suspensions in Croydon and Hackney and showed an alarming 14 per cent rise in permanent primary school dismissals. BEHAVIOURAL The figures, however, boast a steady improvement in exclusion rates, with permanent expulsions remaining at 7 in every 10,000 pupils and a decrease in the number of
BME SUPPLEMENT
Panellists (from left) Javell Nelson of Croydon Youth Parliament, Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell, Voice managing director George Ruddock, Karen Ruby from Job Centre Plus and Croydon Council leader Mike Fisher students being sent home for a set period of time. But CAFCO chair Tony Harrison insists these figures do not paint a true picture of the scope of the problem. The behavioural coordinator said: “Everybody is saying the numbers are down. Well, how is it that in a borough like Croydon every single one of their exclusion units is full?” He describes a system where, instead of being put through the proper exclusion process, students with behavioural problems are sent on “respite”, either to the school’s own
inclusion facility or an external centre. According to Harrison, the programme is meant to be for a short period of around three weeks but the school, he said, “forgets to get the child back” and they end up out of mainstream education sometimes for months on end while remaining on the school’s register. GUILTY Because there is no paper trail, it is difficult to pinpoint just how widespread the problem is, but the recent Always Some-
one Else’s Problem report from the Children’s Commissioner included an anonymous survey which suggested about 1,600 schools in England were guilty of the illegal practice, which it condemned as a “source of shame”. The commissioner Maggie Atkinson called for schools to be fined for falsifying their registers. Parent, Sasha, whose 15-year-old son has been a victim of illegal exclusions, said that her child is an “angel” and could have benefited from more support instead of being sent home.
He was out of mainstream education for six months and she claims she was not given any paperwork. Harrison said Sasha’s experience was typical of parents who watch their children go for months on a reduced timetable and without any “proper” form of education while, as far as Ofsted is concerned, they are still on the school register. He added: “There is a political agenda that has to promote this idea that schools are successfully dealing with exclusions. The truth is they are not.”
CROYDON CELEBRATES
BLACK HISTORY October is fast approaching the Council would like to find out about any community events which are planned to take place. Please let us know about your event and we will try to promote as many activities as possible.
You can email shujah.iqbal@croydon.gov.uk with a description of the activity, date, time and whether there is a cost or not. The closing date for this information is 1st September 2013.