"Alarming rise" in police use of force against black people
BLACK people are disproportionately likely to be on the receiving end of the use of force by the police.
New Ministry of Justice figures show that 313,137 people in England and Wales had police force used against them in 2017/18.
This includes things like the use of tasers, holding people to the ground, and even getting dogs to bite suspects in an attempt to restrain them.
Some 37,091 people who had force used against them were black or black British, accounting for 11.8 per cent of the total.
But the most recent Census suggests black people account for just 3.3% of the population of England and Wales.
Nearly three-quarters (73.2 per cent) of people who had force used against them by the police in 2017/18 were white.
However white people account for 84.8 per cent of the overall population.
The disproportionality is more pronounced with more extreme types of force.
White people were, for example, on the receiving end of 67.1 per cent of taser incidents while black people accounted for 20.2 per cent.
Black people also accounted for more than a quarter of all police firearms incidents (25.5 per cent), compared with white people who accounted for just 51.2 per cent. Not all firearms incidents see shots fired. Police can also use a firearm as a form of restraint, by pointing it at a suspect. Similarly, a “taser incident” doesn’t necessarily mean a taser was discharged. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist, lead for self-defence and restraint at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said: “Officers have always had to record all uses of force in their evidential notes and statements, to explain why it was used, and how it was lawful, proportionate and necessary in the circumstances.
“Police are charged with maintaining order and keeping people safe.
“In fulfilling those duties, they will sometimes need to use force on behalf of the state to protect the public and themselves from harm.
“Police interact with the public every day - force is not used in the majority of those interactions. “These statistics show that when force is used, it is mostly low level, and done to protect those who pose a threat to themselves, officers or others.” Oliver Feeley-Sprague, Amnesty UK’s police and security programme director, said: "We’re particularly concerned at the alarming rise in over-use against vulnerable and minority groups, including on people with mental health issues and Black and Minority Ethnic people.”