The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and College of Policing have released their draft Race Action Plan: Improving policing for Black people, sharing their vision in making policing anti-racist.
The draft plan, published on Tuesday 24th May, aims to address:
- disparities affecting Black people
- lower levels of trust and confidence in the police within Black communities
As the first national action plan aiming to improve outcomes for Black people with commitment from all 43 police forces across England and Wales, Action for Race Equality believes this is a positive first step towards tackling racism across all police forces in the UK.
We welcome the acknowledgment that a targeted and transformational effort is necessary to tackle the racism that persistently undermines Black communities’ trust and confidence in the police.
However, in order to truly address racial inequality for Black people, this plan must also be strategically linked to changes in the broader criminal justice system. We ask the Ministry of Justice to publish their race action plan, and stand with others challenging the police to accept that intuitional racism is the root of the problem.
Deeper considerations
Through our EQUAL project, a national independent advisory group set up to tackle racial inequality in the criminal justice system, we have made a statement on the Police Race Action plan.
EQUAL urges the Police Chiefs and College of Policing to actively listen to Black communities and organisations when it comes to shaping the final plan, and to remain transparent and accountable to them throughout the delivery and implementation.
We will only see change when Black communities and their organisations, especially those that work with Black children and young men, have the respect, resources and means to access transparent and inclusive processes locally that will enable them to scrutinise and challenge systemic racial inequalities.”
Jeremy Crook, Action for Race Equality CEO & EQUAL Vice-Chair
Have your say
Alongside the plan, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing have also launched a survey welcoming feedback on any aspect of the Race Action Plan from individuals and organisations, both inside and outside of policing.
The survey closes on Sunday 28 August.
Action for Race Equality warmly encourages our network to share their thoughts.
For more details contact:
Payal Bhavsar, Communications and Engagement Officer, EQUAL