Majority of BAME people feel there is bias against them in police forces, survey reveals

Two thirds of Black, Asian and ethnic minority people feel there is bias against them among police forces, a study has revealed.
By Susie Beever
Published 20th Aug 2020, 16:45 BST
Police and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Leeds, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forcesPolice and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Leeds, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forces
Police and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Leeds, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forces

The survey carried out by the anti-extremism and hate crime charity Hope Not Hate found that 65 per cent of ethnic minority respondents felt police forces were biased against them.

It comes as discussions have been reignited amongst police in Yorkshire during the summer around diversity in the forces and systemic racism, following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in June.

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West Yorkshire Police's Chief Constable John Robins said in a meeting last month that he would be in favour of positive discrimination if it meant more BAME applicants in police recruitment drives, while similar concerns were expressed in a recent meeting regarding a lack of diversity in North Yorkshire Fire Service's workforce.

Police and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forcesPolice and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forces
Police and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forces

Meanwhile, a West Yorkshire Police officer was suspended on Tuesday following circulation of a video of an Asian man being pinned to the ground during an arrest in Halifax.

The force has referred the incident on to the Independent Office of Police Conduct for investigation.

The Hope Not Hate survey found that four out of five respondents of Black and Bangladeshi heritage felt there was bias in the police against them, compared to around half of those of Chinese and Indian backgrounds.

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The research suggests the majority do not believe the issues are systemic, with 64 per cent agreeing that any issues were down to a minority of individuals within forces.

A police officer in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where fewer than 2% of officers are BAMEA police officer in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where fewer than 2% of officers are BAME
A police officer in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, where fewer than 2% of officers are BAME

Meanwhile, three quarters of Black people, 71 per cent of Bangladeshi people and 53 per cent of Indian respondents felt they are dealt with more severely in the courts.

Responses from around a thousand BAME adults, surveyed between July 3 and 10, also revealed widespread anger about the Government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and feelings of political alienation.

In a meeting broadcast live on Facebook by West Yorkshire Police on Wednesday, officers of different heritages and faiths discussed the issue of diversity.

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Officers in the force told the meeting how there was a particular desire to increase representation of eastern European and Roma people within the workforce.

Police and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forcesPolice and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forces
Police and protesters at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol, as a survey shows 65% of BAME people feel there is bias against them within police forces

The force - which is Yorkshire's biggest - currently has six per cent of officers who are BAME, compared with 18 per cent of the county's overall population.

Meanwhile, both North Yorkshire Police and Humberside's make up of BAME officers is under two per cent, while South Yorkshire's is 3.8 per cent, according to Government figures from last year.

Detective Inspector Andy George, interim president of the National Black Police Association, said the results confirmed its concerns around trust and confidence in UK policing.

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He said: “Building strong relationships with ethnic minority communities makes us more likely to understand new and emerging crimes in the community and more likely to receive community intelligence which will allow us to target those causing most harm in the community.

“Now is the time to acknowledge the evidence produced in this report and build long-term strategies to increase trust and confidence in BAME communities.”

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