West Mids Police chief in apology to black community

THE top police officer overseeing Coventry has apologised to black people for the force’s failings.

In the wake of several Black Lives Matters protests, including in Coventry, Dave Thompson has admitted the force had made mistakes - and had not been free from racism.

In a message, he said: “We will need to listen to these voices as, I and we, have more to do.”

Mr Thompson issued the statement following an angry response to the death of George Floyd in the US, after video footage of a police officer with his knee on his neck was revealed.

Amid Black Lives Matter demonstrations, Mr Thompson, who is the most senior police officer in the West Midlands, accepted there was still work to be done on discrimination.

He drew on his own experiences and touched upon the failures of policing in history including the treatment of new migrant communities in the 1950s.

He also mentioned riots of the 1980s, the death of Stephen Lawrence and the discredited members of the disbanded West Midlands Serious Crime Squad.

Mr Thompson said: “I apologise to our black communities for the things West Midlands Polic ehas got wrong over the years in how we have policed them.

“History has created, for some, a narrative that we are not to be trusted.

“A badge that has not always stood out for you as something that stands for safety and on occasions one to be feared.

Across the UK, since 1990, there have been 1,741 deaths in police custody or following police contact.

According to annual figures released by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for the year between 2018 to 2019, there were 18 deaths linked to West Midlands Police.

“I recognise that we are still not a service free from bias, discrimination or even racism. We reflect this imperfect society.

“I know many black parents fear for the children from gangs and also from how they may be treated by the police.

“The people of colour in West Midlands Police serve with great pride and have changed policing. They have found this last few weeks to be traumatic.

“We will need to listen to these voices as, I and we, have more to do.”

Mr Thompson appealed to people from the black community to join the force so they could start addressing inequality.

He said: “We want black women and men to join this service.

“If you want something different you have to step forward.

“I don’t want history to trap us. I want your grandparents, mums, dads, boyfriends and girlfriends to want you to be part of policing as much as I want you to. A great deal has changed about policing and the pictures from America are not the police service we have in this country.”

The police chief also praised the officers who had stood in harm’s way and brought racists from National Action to justice.

He added: “Today we will talk about steps we will take on policing to ensure our service is fairer around stop and search and use of force. They are important issues.

“They are also complex. We have improved and we must do more.

“We will set out further steps we will take in the weeks and months ahead.

“I do not believe these protests have been solely about policing.

“Unlike America this is not about police reform it is about creating a fairer society. This requires all of us to work to eliminate racism and discrimination. It’s about real change not symbolic gestures.

“I hope others who lead across this city and our country can reflect, as I do, on how we can move forward.”