Anti-racism training for British police because of racist treatment of Black people

Tensions between the Black communities in Britain and the police have been a bleak feature of British society since the early twentieth century. Major race riots and demonstrations occurred soon after World War 1, during the 1960s and 1970s, and seemed to reach a high point following the death of George Floyd in 2020. At the heart of many of these demonstrations is the familiar pattern of unfair treatment of Black people at the hands of the police.

The issue of police brutality towards Black people was once again brought to our attention as a result of the case of Sheku Bayoh who died in May 2015 after he was restrained by officers responding to a call in Fife, Scotland. His family is seeking justice for his death at the hands of the police. According to the family lawyer, Mr Aamer Anwar, Mr Bayoh was empty-handed at the time of his arrest and the first officers on the scene subjected Sheku to CS spray, Pava spray and the use of batons. The family of the man who died in police custody has said he is “Scotland’s George Floyd.” In light of the negativity pertaining to police brutality towards Black people, it was recently announced that all police officers in Britain will undergo special anti-racism training. The question is, “is this a knee-jerk reaction and will it help to improve the way police treat Black people?”

It has been quoted so often that Black people are at least seven times more likely to be stopped and searched than White people. Furthermore, they are also five times more likely to have force used upon themwhen stopped by the police. It seems, on the face of it, that the police authorities have finally decided to tackle this issue. The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said that the training programme would be committed to increasing the awareness and understanding of every officer and member of staff, of racism, anti-racism, Black history and its connection to policing. Furthermore, compulsory anti-racism training will be given to all police officers alongside the targeted recruitment of Black staff as part of this strategy to help tackle prejudice among police forces. This Police Race Action Plan, by the NPCC and the College of Policing, sets out the commitment of chief constables in England and Wales to become an anti-racist police service and to explain or reform race disparities.

This sounds like a step in the right direction. The police seem to be recognising that there is a problem, and they need to do their part in helping to improve the situation. Certainly, one way to tackle prejudice is to understand and show greater empathy towards everyone, regardless of how they may differ from a particular mindset and mainstream conventions. However, will these proposals go far enough? Amnesty International UK’s racial justice director, Ilyas Nagdee, has criticised the proposals for not going far enough, stating, “Racism is still rampant in policing and it’s disappointing that police chiefs have stopped short of accepting that policing is institutionally racist. Another doubt arises from the fear that a disproportionate level of responsibility might be laid on Black officers in police forces to lead or carry out these measures. This has, in turn, led the head of the body scrutinising a plan for England and Wales to combat racism, to remark that Black police officers should not be expected to solve racism in forces and must be allowed to “get on with their job.” Over the last two decades, the police have been working hard to build better relations with the communities with which they operate. The biggest challenge for the police will be to change the perception from many people in the Black communities that they genuinely want to treat everyone, including Back people, equally. They say, time is the best healer. Only time will tell whether this initiative helps to improve the relations between the police and members of the Black community in Britain.