‘Honesty and openness are key to public support for police’ - Toby Harris, MPA Chair

30/03
29 April 2003

The special relationship between police and the diverse communities they serve is fundamental to the maintenance of an effective and transparent criminal justice system, Toby Harris, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority will say later today (30 April).

Talking at a meeting of Hackney’s Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, Toby will say:

“Without a high level of co-operation, openness, support and trust on all sides, our courts, judiciary and police lack the credibility to do their jobs.

“Victims, witnesses and suspects must all feel that the criminal justice system is efficient and fair. Victims and witnesses in particular must feel that they are valued not vilified.

“And suspects must feel that they have been properly treated, with due care and respect, whatever their beliefs, gender, sexual orientation or ethnic origin.”

Discussing the progress made by the Metropolitan Police Service over recent years, Toby will continue:

“The Metropolitan Police Service has come a long way since the death of Stephen Lawrence ten years ago, although more must be done to tackle any remaining institutionalised racism.

“One of the most significant recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report has been recently implemented in Hackney. Recommendation 61 which calls for the recording of all police stops will, I believe, go a long way to improving police and community relations even further, and begin to rebuild a sustainable relationship of mutual confidence and respect.

“Honesty in the way in which police deal with our diverse communities and an openness in all aspects of policing are the keys to building a solid foundation of public trust and support, so essential if we are to maintain policing by consent.

"Police stops are one of the most contentious policing issues, particularly for London’s black and ethnic minority communities. The use of police stops affects members of these communities disproportionately. It creates a perception of unfairness that threatens the acknowledged effectiveness of stops as a policing tool and damages trust and confidence in the police.

“Recommendation 61 addresses important issues raised by the use of this emotive police power – such as accurate recording and monitoring, ethnic classification of suspects, and intelligence-led versus random use of the powers, and reinforces confidence in how police deal with London’s communities. From the public’s point of view it provides a more accountable police service and shows that police are prepared to deal with issues such as fairness and disproportionality.”

Referring to the Authority’s role of holding the Metropolitan Police Service to account, Toby will say:

“The Authority is also carrying out a scrutiny into the Metropolitan Police Service’s performance and practice in using stop and search across the capital.

“The scrutiny will concentrate on key aspects of stop and search that previous studies have not explored, including disproportionality and the use made of stop and search data to inform intelligence-led policing operations.”

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