Racial discrimination “still exists” in UK Police, with a disproportionate number of blacks and Asians having their profiles on the national DNA database and coloured people being more likely to be stopped and searched, a House of Commons Committee has said.
The Commons Home Affairs Committee looked into recommendations by a 1999 inquiry panel that criticised the police investigation into a black teenager’s death.
The House committee said black people are more likely to be stopped and searched in the UK and a disproportionate number of black and Asian people have their profiles held on the national DNA database. This trend has increased since 1999, the report said.
Chairman of the panel Keith Vaz, an Indian-origin Labour MP, said, “While there is such blatantly disproportionate representation of particularly black people in the criminal justice system... there will continue to be damage to community relations which in turn undermines police work.”
Police forces had made slow progress on meeting their target of the number of ethnic minority officers they employ, it added.
“We are disappointed that the police service will not meet its target to employ 7 per cent of its officers from ethnic minority communities nationally by this year-end and that black and ethnic minority officers continue to experience difficulties in achieving promotion, as well as being more likely to be subject to disciplinary procedures.”
{{/usCountry}}“We are disappointed that the police service will not meet its target to employ 7 per cent of its officers from ethnic minority communities nationally by this year-end and that black and ethnic minority officers continue to experience difficulties in achieving promotion, as well as being more likely to be subject to disciplinary procedures.”
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