On Stephen Lawrence Memorial Day (22 April), Birmingham will host a landmark moment in UK policing reform — the first Black Policing Charter of its kind, shaped directly by Black communities.
Press Release – 16 April 2026
🕒 Estimated read time: 2 minutes
Residents, community leaders, and public bodies will come together at the BRIG café to define together what fair, accountable, and anti-racist policing could look like in practice, grounded in lived experience.
This is not a traditional public meeting.
It is a working session focused on listening, dialogue and beginning to turn lived experience into clear, actionable priorities that will shape the Charter’s first year and governance structure.
This initiative is led by the Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG) in partnership with the Alliance for Police Accountability (APA) and Action for Race Equality (ARE).
It marks a deliberate shift away from traditional consultation towards a more participatory, community-informed approach.
The event comes at a critical moment, following West Midlands Police’s acknowledgement of systemic racism. This creates an opportunity to move beyond recognition of the problem and begin shaping what meaningful change looks like.
At its heart is a simple but important question: What does 21st-century anti-racist policing actually look like and who gets to define it?
For many, across the UK, Stephen Lawrence’s legacy feels unresolved.
This event is a direct response to that reality, moving from reflection to action.
Lee Jasper, Chair of the Alliance for Police Accountability, said:
This is the first community-led Black Policing Charter in the UK and that matters. What an honour it is to launch this initiative on Stephen Lawrence Memorial Day in Birmingham .
For decades, Black communities have endured police “consultation” without consequence, a process that is now regarded as harmful and disempowering. This event and approach is radically different.
Where systemic racism has been acknowledged as in Birmingham, Black communities now have the opportunity to define what comes next. West Midlands Police Crime Commissioner’s Office is to be commended for being willing to engage in a community led co-productive process
That is what this deliberative democracy and citizenship charter model begins to do. We are delighted to be launching in Birmingham.”
Alethea Fuller, deputy chief executive from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner West Midlands and Mike O’Hara, Assistant Chief Constable, West Midlands Police, will be in attendance alongside grassroots organisations and community stakeholders.
Event Details:
- Birmingham Black Policing Charter Community Engagement Event
- Date: Wednesday, 22nd April 2026
- Time: 10–12pm
- Venue: BRIG Café, The Warehouse, 54-57 Allison St, Birmingham B5 5TH
- RSVP: Eventbrite link
Media Opportunities:
- Advance and on-the-day interviews with Lee Jasper (APA Chair)
- Interviews with Lorna Interim CEO of BRIG
- Access to participants shaping the Charter
For enquiries, please contact Ruchi Tandon, BRIG Press/PR Consultant via press@werebrig.co.uk
