Police four times more likely to use force against black people

POLICE in Leicestershire are nearly five times more likely to use force against Black people than White people.

The murder of George Floyd in the US and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests have been supported by action in the UK, with people raising concerns that Black people in the UK are also discriminated against by police.

In an article calling on the Government to learn lessons from the response to George Floyd’s death, MP Diane Abbot said British observers shouldn’t console themselves that the same couldn’t happen here, adding: “Black people suffer disproportionately from the police use of force”.

Leicestershire Police used force tactics 10,759 times in 2018/19.

These include tactics such as handcuffing, other restraint, use of batons, irritant sprays, tasers and firearms.

Of those, 7,963 tactics were used against people police perceived to be White, and 1,258 were against people perceived as Black.

Based on the local population, that was a rate of 95 tactics used per 10,000 White people, and 444 per 10,000 Black people - 4.7 times higher.

The gap was even bigger for some types of tactics.

Police in Leicestershire were 5.9 times more likely to use tasers against Black people and 4.9 times more likely to use equipment such as batons, irritant spray, spit guards and shields.

The factors that impact police decisions to use force also appear to be different depending on perceived ethnicity.

The most common factors when dealing with White people was alcohol (in 41.2% of incidents).

However, the most commonly cited impact factor in incidents involving those perceived to be Black was size, gender, or build in 38.7% of incidents.

That compared to it being a factor in 34% of incidents involving White people.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive

at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “We appreciate the need for effective policing to ensure safe communities. But we know that both adults and children from some ethnic minorities experience disproportionate levels of force by police – sometimes with very serious consequences.

“We have continuously called on police forces, the Home Office and Police and Crime Commissioners to not only retain but also build on protections designed to promote fair and equal policing.”

The figures are from the Home Office, with additional information released following a Freedom of Information request.