James Chaterand
Jess Warren,London
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The Metropolitan Police has a structural problem with “systematic racism”, an independent report into anti-black harm within the force has warned.
The review looked at the Met’s systems, leadership, governance and culture and concluded racial harm was “maintained through a repeated institutional sequence” within the force.
Report author Dr Shereen Daniels said racism and “anti-blackness” were systemic “institutional design” within the force.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the force recognised the scale of the challenges and London’s mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, said the pace of cultural reform had to speed up. The National Black Police Association said action to address issues had not been taken.
The review, commissioned from the consultancy HR Rewired, concluded that darker-skinned Met staff were “labelled confrontational” while lighter-skinned employees might receive quicker empathy and leniency.
Dr Shereen Daniels said that systemic racism was “not a matter of perception”, adding that “true accountability begins with specificity”.
“The same systems that sustain racial harm against black people also enable other forms of harm. Confronting this is not an act of exclusion but a necessary foundation for safety, fairness and justice for everyone,” she said.
The report drew on more than 40 years of evidence showing how racism had shaped the Met’s relationship with black communities and affected black officers and staff.
Within communities, this meant darker-skinned people were more likely to be read as suspicious or aggressive, and “force is more readily authorised”, the report said.
It also highlighted the “adultifi
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