Black people 'disproportionately represented' say MPs
- 00:01:22
- ITN
Black people 'disproportionately represented' say MPs
Black people are still "disproportionately represented" ten years after the MacPherson report investigated the Stephen Lawrence police inquiry. The Home Affairs Select Committee has published a report welcoming progress the police has made in services it provides to ethnic minorities, but claims that some issues have worsened. The Police investigation into the death of Stephen Lawrence was criticised heavily in the 1999 Macpherson report. In particular it was accused of "institutional racism", "professional incompetence" and a "lack of leadership". Ten years on MPs claim 67 of Macpherson's 70 recommendations have been partially or fully implemented. However, the committee says black communities in particular are disproportionately represented in stop and search statistics and on the National DNA database. The Committee expresses its disappointment that the police service will not meet its target to employ seven per cent of officers from ethnic minorities nationally by 2009. It also has concerns over black and ethnic minority officers experiencing difficulties in achieving promotion, and being more likely to be subject to disciplinary procedures. Chairman of the Committee Keith Vaz MP says "we congratulate the police on the strides they have made in tackling the institutional racism identified by the Macpherson report ten years ago. However, while there is such blatantly disproportionate representation of particularly black people in the criminal justice system - in the use of stop and search or on the DNA database - there will continue to be damage to community relations which in turn undermine police work."
ITN | July 21, 2009
