This Thursday, 29th May 2025, the Alliance for Police Accountability (APA), in collaboration with key civil society organisations, will host a pivotal full-day workshop at IBM London, aiming to co-develop a unified proposal for an Independent Community Oversight Framework of policing.
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The day will provide a critical opportunity for key stakeholders to come together, collaborate, and lead the vision for the future of policing. With communities demanding greater transparency, justice, and accountability, the time has come for civil society to take the helm and push for meaningful change.
Event Details:
- Date: Thursday, 29th May 2025
- Time: 9:30–4pm (Doors open at 9:30am, sessions begin promptly at 10am)
- Venue: IBM London, York Road, 20 York Road London SE1 7ND (Room to be confirmed)
- Lunch: Provided (Please indicate any dietary requirements by Friday, 23rd May)
- RSVP: Eventbrite Link
The workshop will focus on key themes, including governance, funding models, and the ethical principles necessary for a trauma-informed, inclusive oversight approach. But more than just a consultation, this is a declaration that civil society is ready to lead. APA will craft the framework, ensure it is rooted in lived experience and community wisdom, and take that proposal to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Home Office.
Key Themes
- The case for independent, community-led oversight of policing
- Learning from past inquiries and civil society engagements
- Governance models and secretariat arrangements
- Sustainable funding strategies and strategic partnerships
- Agreed ethical principles for an inclusive oversight approach
Saba Ali’s Powerful Speech, A Call to Action
As we prepare for this gathering, we are reminded of the urgency and strength behind our shared work.
In a speech delivered at the NPCC Conference on 2 May 2025, Saba Ali, a member of the APA Steering Group, brought attention to the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation in the context of policing. Her words underscore why our work, particularly the workshop on the 29th May, is so vital.
The compounded harms. The shattered trust. The aching, desperate need for rebirth, not just reform.“
Saba’s speech serves as a call to acknowledge the truth of institutional discrimination. She urges us to see that intersectionality is not just a theoretical framework, it’s a lived reality that informs the experiences of Black, queer, and trans communities within the criminal justice system:
“Intersectionality teaches us that harm is not experienced in neat, isolated categories. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, they are not parallel lines; they are a knotted web, a hydra with many heads.“
These powerful insights align with the very heart of the APA-led workshop. It is a call to reform with purpose and to ensure that the oversight framework we are co-developing addresses the deeply entrenched systems of oppression that shape policing practices today. Saba’s demand for transformational change reflects the urgency of our collective work:
“Reform with purpose: Embed intersectionality into every layer of policing, from leadership to frontline action, with radical transparency and real accountability. Transformation is not cosmetic; it is structural.“
Saba’s speech continues to resonate in our fight to build a justice-driven policing system that truly sees and serves all communities, particularly those most affected by systemic injustice. Her words are a powerful reminder that the time for action is now:
We cannot wait for another tragedy. We cannot wait for another headline. We must act urgently, relentlessly and now. Not tomorrow. Not when it’s convenient. Now.“
What to Expect
- Panel reflections from leading civil society voices and policing stakeholders
- Model presentations on national oversight structures
- Breakout group discussions on oversight design, governance, and funding
- A collective call to action for next steps
Join the APA on the 29th May
Your participation is essential. The outcomes of this workshop will inform a final proposal that will be presented to the Home Secretary and the NPCC, so this is your chance to shape the future of police accountability in the UK.
Let’s come together to ensure that policing becomes not just a force for control, but a force for justice, one that sees and serves the communities it was meant to protect. This is our opportunity to design a framework for change that addresses institutional racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia, an intersectional, holistic approach that can restore trust and transform policing.
