This statement is made by Baroness Lawrence in her personal capacity, in response to the Report of Baroness Louise Casey into policing.
Baroness Lawrence stated:
‘It comes as no surprise to me that the report from Baroness Louise Casey has found that the Metropolitan police is riddled with deep-seated racism, sexism and homophobia. My suspicion in 1993 that racism played a critical part in the failure of the Metropolitan police to properly investigate my son’s death in 1993 was borne out by the MacPherson Report. Since then, despite repeated reassurances that the Metropolitan police had learned lessons from its failures, discrimination in every form is clearly rampant in its ranks. It is not, and has never been, a case of a few ‘bad apples’ within the Metropolitan police. It is rotten to the core. Discrimination is institutionalised within the Metropolitan police and it needs changing from top to bottom. Any reluctance or refusal to accept that institutional racism exists within the police service will mean that any attempt at change is doomed to failure and, the police, yet again, will be letting down our communities. Since my son’s death and the recognition of institutional racism by Sir William Macpherson the force has had almost 30 years to put its house in order. It has not done so, either because it does not want to or it does not know how to. Either way, I agree that Baroness Casey’s report and its findings are the last chance for the Metropolitan police to get it right and if it does not, it must be forced to do so. As it stands, the public who the police are meant to serve is being failed and the Home Secretary, who has ultimate responsibility for policing, has to be held accountable and take appropriate action. I suspect a lot of people will feel, like me, that enough is enough and change is needed. And needed now.’
END
21st March 2023
For further information please contact: Patrick Dunne at Imran Khan & Partners Solicitors on 020 7404 3004 or PatrickD@ikpsolicitors.com