The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry 10 Years On An Analysis of the Literature A Runnymede Report by Nicola Rollock RUNNYMEDE REPORTS Acknowledgements There are a number of colleagues without whose support and advice this report would have been considerably more difficult to complete. Biographical details In particular, we at Runnymede would like to thank members of the of the author 10 Years On reference group for their advice and support, notably Dr Nicola Rollock is a Claire Alexander, Barbara Cohen, Simon Holdaway, Richard Stone Research Associate for the and Seamus Taylor. Runnymede Trust Our thanks also go to Matthew Ryder, Marcus Ryder at the BBC, and colleagues at the Metropolitan Police Service’s press office who Reference Group have been particularly helpful in providing information for this The Reference Group which literature review. advised and supported the development of this report We would also like to express our appreciation to Runnymede comprised the following research intern Dinah Gross, who met the challenge of learning about individuals: the criminal justice system in a short space of time with enthusiasm and unfaltering commitment. Dr Claire Alexander Finally, we are very grateful indeed to the Leigh Trust and the Uniting Dr Rob Berkeley Britain Trust, who funded the research and publication of this report. (Runnymede Trust) Barbara Cohen Catherine Cousins Janet Foster Dr Theo Gavrielides Professor David Gillborn Professor Simon Holdaway Michelynn Laflèche (Runnymede Trust, to December 2008) Dr Robin Oakley Dr Coretta Phillips Dr Richard Stone ISBN-13: 978-1-906732-16-5 (print) EAN: 9781906732165 (print) Seamus Taylor ISBN-13: 978-1-906732-17-2 (online) Doreen Lawrence was EAN: 9781906732172 (online) consulted and provided feedback on draft versions Published by Runnymede in February 2009, this document is copy- of the report. right 2009 the Runnymede Trust. An electronic version can be read or downloaded from the Run- nymede website [www.runnymedetrust.org]. Reproduction of this report by photocopying or electronic means for non-commercial purposes is permitted. Otherwise, it is not permitted to store or transmit the electronic version of this report, nor to scan or photocopy the paper version for dissemination or commercial use, without the prior permission of the publisher. Researchers and commentators may quote from this document without charge provided they cite the author, the title and the pub- lisher when they acknowledge the source of the material quoted. The publisher would prefer that no individual quotation should exceed 400 words, and that the total material quoted should not exceed 800 words. ROLLOCK: THE STEPHEN LAWRENCE INQUIRY 10 YEARS ON 1 Contents Foreword 2 Five Key Recommendations 3 Executive Summary 4 Section I. The Inquiry in Context Chapter 1. Introduction 8 Chapter 2. Sociopolitical context 10 Chapter 3. Racism and institutional racism 13 Section II. The Inquiry’s Recommendations Theme by Theme Chapter 4. Openness, accountability and the restoration of confidence 16 Chapter 5. Definition of a racist incident 26 Chapter 6. Reporting and recording of racist incidents and crimes 28 Chapter 7. Police practice and the investigation of racist crime 32 Chapter 8. Family liaison 34 Chapter 9. Victims and witnesses 36 Chapter 10. Prosecution of racist crimes 39 Section III. The Inquiry’s Recommendations on Police Culture, Practices and Procedures Chapter 11. Race awareness and cultural diversity training 47 Chapter 12. Disciplinary procedures and complaints 51 Chapter 13. Stop and search procedures 56 Chapter 14. Recruitment and retention of minority ethnic staff 61 Section IV. Conclusion 68 Bibliography 74 Appendices I. High-profile cases concerning Black and minority ethnic officers and staff 81 II. The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2004: Code of Conduct 85 III. The Police (Conduct) Regulations 2008: Standards of Professional Behaviour 86 IV. (a) Stop and Search form (old) 87 (b) Stop and Search form (new) 90 V. Ranks within the Metropolitan Police Service 91 VI. Key Police Agencies 92 2 RUNNYMEDE REPORTS Foreword The publication on 24 February 1999 of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report was hailed as a defining moment in police relations with Black and minority ethnic groups. It highlighted the ways in which the criminal justice system had repeatedly let down the Lawrence family through poor treatment and failed police investigations. The Report’s recommendations sought improved openness and accountability across the criminal justice system and focused the police and other law enforcement practitioners on tackling institutional racism. A decade later the Runnymede Trust has sought, in The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry 10 Years On: An Analysis of the Literature, to understand the extent of progress in meeting the recommendations of the Inquiry. While there have been some indications of change, most notably in the way in which the Crown Prosecution Service takes seriously cases involving racist motivation, there are many ways in which the relationship today between the police and Black and minority ethnic groups has not changed significantly from what it was 10 years ago. This is evident in terms of the challenges faced by officers from these backgrounds who work for the police service and, in a chilling echo of the old ‘sus’ laws, the continued over-representation of Black people in the figures for those exposed to Stop & Search procedures. To move forward, it remains so very important that we envisage a new form of policing for our multi-ethnic society, one where the legacy of Stephen Lawrence remains as significant to young people as to older generations. This means understanding and engaging with issues of race, identity and justice in a way that not only focuses on Black and minority ethnic groups and strategies to address their needs, but also seriously challenges the taken-for-granted practices and procedures of organisations built to serve the less diverse communities of a bygone age. Dr Richard Stone Former panel member, Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Vice Chair of the Runnymede Trust ROLLOCK: THE STEPHEN LAWRENCE INQUIRY 10 YEARS ON 3 Five Key Recommendations Since the publication of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report on 24 February 1999, there have been numerous initiatives, policy and guidance documents published, aimed at improving performance in some way across and within the criminal justice system. Though we note some small areas of progress, in light of the continued failings by the police service in relation to Black and minority ethnic recruitment, retention and progression and the disproportionate number of Black people being stop and searched, it is difficult to conclude that the charge of institutional racism no longer applies. Having examined the literature, we now make five key recommendations aimed at supporting the Lawrence Inquiry’s overall aim of eliminating ‘racist prejudice and disadvantage and the demonstration of fairness in all aspects of policing’. 1. Effective practice on recording racist incidents should be shared across the criminal justice system We welcome the detailed attention paid by the Crown Prosecution Service to recording and monitoring data related to racist incidents. That this information is accessible and published annually in one place warrants further commendation, and other agencies would do well to learn from and build on this successful initiative by the CPS. 2. Police forces must improve the monitoring of racially motivated crime How police forces identify cases as having racist motivation, and their procedures for passing on this detail in their computer or case files to the CPS, leaves considerable scope for improvement. Research to examine how the police could be supported to improve their practices in both areas is recommended. 3. Public scrutiny should continue beyond the publication of an Inquiry report Follow-up procedures for implementing recommendations that have emerged from Public Inquiries ought to form an integral part of the Inquiry process. This would enhance the credibility and openness of each Inquiry and ensure greater accountability by government and those organizations to whom recommendations have been directed. In addition, materials submitted as evidence to any Public Inquiry ought to be made available to the public within a given timeframe. 4. Police forces must address continued problems in the progression and retention of Black officers and staff The police service continues to experience difficulties in recruiting, retaining and progressing officers from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds. While strategies such as mentoring schemes, recruitment drives and leadership programmes are worthwhile, they are largely directed at minority ethnic groups alone, and they have failed to make any long-lasting impact on the careers of Black and minority ethnic officers. To truly improve the effectiveness of such schemes, we argue for a much fuller understanding of the policing context in which they currently operate. 5. Government should review the effectiveness of stop and search procedures as a crime reduction strategy Black groups continue to be disproportionately stopped and searched at rates similar to those recorded when the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report was published in 1999. The low percentage of such procedures leading to arrests, let alone convictions, leads us to conclude that: (a) there is little difference between these procedures and the restrictive and discriminatory use of ‘sus’ laws in the 1970s; and (b) that stop and search procedures are not the most effective use of police time and resources. We recommend that government should reassess the value and usefulness of stop and search as an effective ‘intelligence led’ crime reduction strategy. 4 RUNNYMEDE REPORTS Executive Summary Background Broad structure of the report • Stephen Lawrence was killed in an unpro- What follows is an outline of how the 15 chapters voked racist knife attack by a group of of this report have drawn on the Stephen Lawrence five white youths while waiting for a bus Inquiry recommendations in order for us to produce with his friend Duwayne Brooks in Eltham, recommendations of our own. However rigorous South London on 22 April 1993.