London police chief vows more change after another damning report on racism

LONDON (Reuters) -London's police chief Mark Rowley said his force must undergo cultural change after another deeply critical report published on Friday cited systemic racism in how it deals with Black members of the public and its own staff.

In her report entitled "30 Patterns of Harm", human resources expert Shereen Daniels said the Metropolitan Police's systems, leadership and culture gave rise to racial harm while protecting the organisation itself from meaningful reform.

"Systemic racism is not a matter of perception. For almost 50 years, reviews of the Metropolitan Police have documented the harm experienced by Black Londoners, officers and staff," said Daniels, who was commissioned by the Met to write her independent review.

'ANTI-BLACKNESS'

"Anti-Blackness is the clearest indicator of organisational dysfunction. The same systems that sustain racial harm against Black people also enable other forms of harm. Confronting this is not an act of exclusion but a necessary foundation for safety, fairness and justice for everyone."

Her report cited, for example, bias against those with darker skin colour, or certain accents.

Since the early 1980s, a series of reports and reviews has highlighted major problems with race issues within the Met, with an independent review in 2023 concluding it was institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. 

Since becoming Police Commissioner in 2022, Rowley has promised to rid the force of corrupt and unacceptable officers following a series of scandals, including the conviction of some of them for murder and rape.

Last month, five officers were fired after a BBC documentary programme secretly filmed officers displaying racist or misogynist attitudes.

'CULTURAL CHANGE' NEEDED

"Dr Daniels’ report is powerful. It calls out that further systemic, structural, cultural change is needed ... This cultural change will require relentless effort and innovation," Rowley said in a statement. 

"When it comes to any individual discrimination, including racism, our commitment is clear: we are continuing to deliver the largest corruption clear-out in British policing history to remove those who do not belong."

Unlike in previous reports, Daniels said, she was not making specific recommendations, saying the purpose was to expose systemic racism for the Met itself to reflect and act upon.

"Because the truth is, it didn't matter how many reports came before. How many case studies, datasets or strategic race plans. The harm continued," she wrote.  

(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Mark Heinrich)