UK police watchdog to assess racial bias among officers

london — The organisation which deals with police complaints in England and Wales on Friday announced a review into whether forces discriminate against ethnic minorities.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the probe, to begin in the coming months, will initially look into the use of stop and search powers and the use of force.

It comes amid growing scrutiny of police attitudes to black and ethnic minority (BAME) communities in Britain following the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death in US police custody of an unarmed black man, George Floyd. The head of London’s Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, this week apologised to British sprinter Bianca Williams for the “distress” caused when she and her partner were stopped by police. Nothing was found in the search.

“Evidence of disproportionality in the use of police powers has long been a concern which impacts on confidence in policing, particularly in the BAME communities,” said IOPC director general Michael Lockwood. —