Black Men and MPS’s Police Public Consultation London Race Action Plan

Last week I attended the MPS’s Police Public Consultation London Race Action Plan. Hosted at Grace House, 80-82 Beulah Road, Thornton Heath CR7 8JF.

It was part of the response to Baroness Casey’s forensic review (March 2023). An independent review into the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service.

The consultation brought together a diverse group, each bearing distinct views, expectations, and emotions. I went as a parent who has safety concerns for our community of children. That concern was in no way allayed by this consultation. An unreasonable expectation on my part but you try negotiating daily, ‘keeping safe’ with a 15-year-old who thinks he is Mr. invincible. Unfortunately, the meeting did not alleviate my concerns. It may have been unrealistic to expect any changes from a single consultation, but I wanted assurances; none! At one point I felt the conversation shift responsibility onto the community to compensate for the shortcomings of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). While there were suggestions that families and parents could intensify their efforts—stopping just short of patrolling the streets themselves—this direction misses the point. The primary responsibility for public safety should squarely fall on the police and the state. It is essential that we continue to demand accountability from these institutions, ensuring they effectively use the resources funded by our taxes.

The consultation sought to capture the diverse voices and perspectives within the Black community, but the overwhelming representation of Black women—over 90% of attendees—raised questions about inclusivity. How are the Police healthily engaging with our men? As a Black woman myself, I value our contributions immensely, yet the absence of Black men was striking, especially given that they are frequently adversely affected by police misconduct. The presence of a white male inspector who left shortly after delivering a presentation and left us with facilitators of mainly Black female Councillors, underscored a missed opportunity for a more balanced dialogue. It would have been impactful to see Black men engaging robustly in the discussion, challenging, and enriching the discourse.

As a concerned parent, I voiced the needs of our community and our children along with other parents. Suggestions were made for families and parents to increase their involvement, which felt like a shift of responsibility away from the institutions equipped and funded to ensure our safety. It is crucial that we redirect accountability towards the police and state authorities that our taxes support to maintain public safety.

Also present was our Cabinet Member for Community Safety, a Black, conservative male who represents Kenley, yet he remained silent throughout the discussions. His voice could have added a valuable perspective, especially in a setting where our men often feel excluded from these systems.

The insights and eloquence of the men who did speak, along with a group of young women actively involved in community work and businesses, were highlights. Their knowledgeable contributions underscored the potential of our community's involvement in advocacy and leadership.

As we reflect on this consultation, it is clear that for real progress, we must ensure more equitable representation and actively hold our leaders and institutions accountable. It is not just about having seats at the table—it is about making sure ALL voices are heard and valued. Councillors that is your challenge you have to meaningfully engage with our men.  

In this Consultation there were four questions we had to respond to:

1.       How can the police serve you without making you feel that you have been wronged?

2.       How can the police ensure that they recruit Black people to the police (front and back office), retain and promote black people, so the police service is reflective of London’s Black communities?

3.       How do the police improve the service they deliver to crime victims?

4.       How do the police create a service that is fair, respectful, and equitable in all its actions and interactions?

I could not help feeling that we have done this before, just a different group of people and a different era. But if you would like to respond to these questions you can. Email your responses to LRAP@met.police.uk.

Better questions for me would have included:

Why is the MET choosing not to act on previous inquiries, plans and consultations? A few:

Scarman Report (1981)

Government Response to the Riots, Communities and Victims Panel’s final report (2013)

Macpherson Report (1997) 

What are the barriers to the MET changing?

According to the London Policing Ethics Panel,  in April 2023 the Police Foundation published a report titled Principles for Accountable Policing. In the report, they set out a framework intended to inform the practice and structure of accountability in UK policing.

A statement from the MPS,

 ‘The Ethics of Police Authority The tremendous power that the police possess - to impact on people’s lives in the most dramatic way - creates a responsibility to ensure that the public ‘trust us.’ Trust that we will treat them fairly. Trust that we will help and do the right thing.’

An encouraging statement: Trust is relying on the integrity or ability of another person. Your ability to truly trust someone is based on their character, not solely yours. Forgive many if many still do not trust the police, and we need to be working towards effectively holding them accountable for all they do. They will have to provide tangible evidence that they are effective in policing ALL of Croydon.

I went to this meeting as a mother, with all the concerns, worries for my 15-year-olds and his peers’ safety, and there were other mothers there who also expressed the same. I make no apology for expressing, clumsily my utter frustration and anger about the Police and Council’s neglect with regards our youth’s safety on the streets. My frustration was apparent. This consultation in my eyes was another tick-boxing exercise. My question on that evening. What happens this, Summer? What are the police doing now? Our streets remain unsafe, open drug dealing on the streets and rubbish everywhere.

In Thornton Heath, our needs are immediate, and I am sure other parts of Croydon feel the same. Again, how are the streets of Croydon being made safe for our children. Oddly, I don’t feel unsafe as an adult, but I know our children do with good reason. I wonder how the older 60-plus feels?

Was the meet a success? Who knows? I suspect it depends on who you ask. The success will not be determined by our attendance, performance, or engagement only, but by the outcome with tangible change by the MET. Another wait for us then because I don’t think we will see it this Summer. 

I am fundamentally pro-police; we need them, or we will have gangs and militia running our communities. Croydon needs a consistent, assertive, healthy, well-balanced Police presence. A well-resourced, well-trained, emotionally sound force we can truly hold accountable and not keep spending time tick-boxing and rubberstamping inquiries that are not acted upon.