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Peaceful protest for Black Lives Matter,

Claire MILLER & Ellis LANE

gloslivenews@reachplc.com

POLICE in Gloucestershire are 11 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 concerns raised that black people in Britain 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”.

Data shows that Gloucestershire police used force tactics 1,659 times in 2018/19. These include handcuffing, other restraint, use of batons, irritant sprays, tasers and firearms. Of those, 1,385 tactics were used against people police perceived to be white, and 148 were against people perceived as black.

Based on the local population, that was a rate of 23 tactics used per 10,000 white people, and 263 per 10,000 black people – 11.3 times higher.

Police in Gloucestershire were 10.2 times more likely to use tasers against black people and 12.6 times more likely to use equipment such as batons, irritant spray, spit guards and shields.

Rod Hansen, chief constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary, said: “Legitimacy, trust and confidence in policing is essential and we take anything that is likely to erode that extremely seriously.

“Use of force is, regrettably, a necessary activity in policing and significant developments have been made in recent years to equip officers with a range of options working up through a continuum that starts with the very safest option for the public and officer.

“Officers are trained in how to use those tactical options and employ the nationally adopted decision-making model, often in very dynamic situations and potentially on their own. However, the issue of disproportionality has been with the service locally and nationally for a very long time.”

Across England and Wales, police used force tactics 630,793 times in 2018/19. They were five times more likely to use these tactics against black people (479 uses per 10,000) than white people (90 per 10,000).

Mr Hansen added: “Our use of force figures are published regularly on our website to ensure transparency and independent community members are involved in regular scrutiny panels to review incidents, including checks of body-worn camera footage.

“Such footage is a recent and welcome introduction now available to the police service that helps to capture an accurate understanding of what has happened during particular incidents. This enables the constabulary to hold officers to account where necessary but also demonstrate the often challenging circumstances they find themselves in. We welcome this development and additional transparency.

“At the scrutiny panel meetings, members will randomly select incidents and give feedback on whether or not appropriate action was taken on a case-by-case basis.

“It can lead to disciplinary action when force has not been used appropriately but equally it can exonerate an officer and, importantly, provide useful learning points on how to adjust training and policy as we strive to improve how and when we use force.

“Recruitment from black and ethnic minority communities into our organisation is also crucial to building trust in policing.

“We have recently established a dedicated team to improve how we engage under-represented communities, ensure they are aware of opportunities to gain employment in the organisation and support them throughout their journey.”

The national figures show firearms are 12.2 times more likely to be used against black people, tasers are 7.6 times more likely to be used and batons 8.2 times more likely to be used.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “These figures are extremely worrying and need to be answered. 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. More must be done now to understand and address unequal treatment, and tackle the root causes of racial inequality across the criminal justice system.”

Generally, the most common impact factors are alcohol and drugs, however, the most common one for incidents involving black people is size/gender/ build (cited in 38.3 per cent of incidents, compared to 29.3 per cent overall and 28.5 per cent for white people).

Police are more likely to say they used force to protect themselves, the public or other officers in incidents involving black people.

However, officers are slightly more likely to be injured in incidents involving white people, and more likely to have received that injury as the result of intentional assault in incidents involving white people.

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