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Pride and Prejudice: A Review of police Race Relations in Scotland
Executive Summary
Influences
In 2002/03, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary carried out a review of police race relations in Scotland. The reasons for doing so included:
- Assessing progress on the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Recommendations in Scotland
- Following up Without Prejudice? - an HMIC report on police race relations carried out in 2000
- Assessing compliance with the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000
- Taking account of the relevant aspects of the reports following the murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar in 1998
- Examining the impact upon policing of asylum and immigration
- Assessing the influence on policing from prevailing international tensions
- Taking heed of any learning points from the instances of urban disorder occurring in northern England in 2001
- Projecting as far as possible the future of police race relations in Scotland, for the purpose of providing the best policing service to all the people in Scotland.
Method
To assist in the review, HMIC sought a wide range of views and opinions from the public, other organisations, and people within the police service. As part of the public consultation, a large number of individuals and groups from the community were visited and gave of their time to contribute their own experiences and perspectives.
Within the police service itself, all of Scotland's police forces were visited at length and provided comprehensive evidence on the developing state of their race relations. The nature of race relations is such that numerous police functions and services are affected and all of these were examined in each police force. Scotland's common police services - the Scottish Police College, the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency and the Scottish Criminal Record Office - were also inspected.
In addition, many organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors were consulted in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and abroad. Study visits were made on issues of asylum and immigration and on issues of polarisation and community cohesion.
HMIC would like to acknowledge and thank every one of the individuals and organisations who participated in the review. Their assistance, co-operation and welcome were of enormous value.
Findings
The findings from the HMIC review of police race relations in Scotland are detailed in full within the main report. These can be summarised as follows:
HMIC has found a great deal of progress on race relations has been made by the Scottish Police Service. Across Scotland and in all environments, people in the community offered praise and gratitude towards the police for the service they were delivering at a local level. HMIC believes the Scottish Police Service has significantly improved the strength of its race relations in recent years and this is an aspect of its service in which it is entitled to hold a measure of pride.
Pride can be a positive influence. Pride in the community, pride in cultural diversity, pride in being a welcoming nation, pride in delivering a professional service - these are all attributes to be pursued. In turn, pride must also be measured to ensure it does not turn to arrogance or complacency. Prejudice however, cannot be condoned in any form. By definition, prejudice is preconceived and therefore ill informed. For policing, prejudice will manifest itself at best as stereotyping and at worst as open discrimination. The future of police race relations in Scotland involves both pride and prejudice, working for the correct measure of one and the removal of another.
Whilst real and positive progress is acknowledged, there is much that remains to be done. Just as there were good examples found of developing race relations, so there were instances where police service and knowledge could have been far better. It is a reality that poor police service has an impact far beyond the immediate circumstances of that service. Complacency must never be allowed to feature.
Recently emerging issues are having a significant influence on police race relations in Scotland, making it a dynamic environment in which to operate. These include asylum and immigration, community tensions from domestic and international incidents, and the potential for racial polarisation in the community.
Given the sensitive interactions involved in policing, a propensity for tension in police race relations exists. Policing cannot isolate itself from a society in which racism, ignorance and prejudice remain harsh realities of this new century. It is the responsibility of the community and its police to continue working together for strong, supportive and sustained community relations.
The recruitment and retention of minority ethnic staff in the Scottish Police Service is improving with increasing numbers. This reflects the programmes of positive action which police forces have followed. However, the employment profile of each police force in Scotland is still far from reflecting the ethnic profile of the local population. Energies into this aspect of recruitment must continue. Positive action must be carefully utilised and the benefits of such an approach need to be effectively communicated to staff.
A comprehensive training programme in diversity awareness is being delivered to every person in the Scottish Police Service. The training is generally well received and appears to be having a positive effect on both performance and service delivery. There was little evidence of a long-term plan for such training and HMIC believes this should be developed to ensure the benefit from such training is sustained and updated.
The appraisal system for police staff should be improved to better reflect diversity.
An HMIC consultation event took place with more than half of all minority ethnic police staff in attendance. A clear desire emerged from this for a framework to exist for minority ethnic staff to provide a means of interaction, representation and consultation.
The number of racist incidents reported to the police continues to rise. The number of racially aggravated offences recorded by the police has also risen and this is in line with police forces being able to demonstrate robust methods for ensuring such crimes are correctly identified and reported. Partnership arrangements and third party reporting initiatives for racist incidents have developed well across Scotland but the police should review such arrangements to ensure their benefit is maximised and that partners are able to fulfil their potential contribution.
The use of interpreters by the police has risen very substantially in recent years and this is a positive development in itself. To ensure best value in service provision, robust arrangements for accessing, delivering and monitoring quality interpreting services are now necessary.
Information provided to the public by the police, in both written and verbal forms, is critical in forming relations between the police and the community. Various documents of police information are now translated into common minority languages and placed in the public domain. An analysis of the needs of minority ethnic persons, with a particular focus on the needs of asylum seekers, is required to ensure the most relevant information is being conveyed.
- Monitoring and Performance
The Scottish Police Service is now formally scrutinised on its race relations in a variety of ways, including self-imposed scrutiny through internal audit and inspection, HMIC primary, review and thematic inspection, performance indicators, public satisfaction surveys, legislation (Race Relations Amendment Act 2000), lay advisory groups and national steering committees. The amount of scrutiny is considerable. As many of these methods have been introduced relatively recently, they should now be allowed to establish and consolidate, with both the police and the community becoming adjusted to them. HMIC inspection of forces on race relations will continue to be mainstreamed into the routine inspection programme.
Consultation between the police and minority ethnic people was found by HMIC to have progressed considerably in recent years. A range of consultation now takes place on both policy and practice through formal, social and personal networks. Most forces have implemented lay advisory groups on race and diversity issues, providing constructive but challenging criticism to the senior management of the force. More could now be done to develop effective networks with minority ethnic young people, minority ethnic young women and asylum seekers.
The prospect of racial polarisation in Scotland, and its potential impact upon policing, was looked at closely by HMIC. The public disorder experienced in towns in northern England, along with the subsequent inquiries, recommendations and outcomes which followed, are all felt to provide relevant background to community safety and community cohesion considerations in Scotland.
The assessment, management and response to fluctuating community tensions are areas where HMIC is recommending greater attention be paid. Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, skilled risk assessment of community tensions has become an effective and essential policing tool, worthy of further development in Scotland.
HMIC found that policing across Scotland is significantly affected by asylum and immigration, with up to ten thousand people seeking asylum and an unknown number of illegal immigrants now resident. Strathclyde Police, with by far the most acute experience to date, has earned wide acknowledgement from both its public and its partners for the community policing of a difficult situation. Alongside the sense of pride that this force has in its achievements to date, there is equally a strong will to ensure no complacency in an area of policing that remains fragile.
As the complex issues and impact of asylum and immigration are unlikely to diminish, and may potentially increase, HMIC believes greater dialogue should take place at senior levels to ensure Scotland is as informed and prepared as it can be to assist in the management of this new dynamic.
Recommendations
HMIC makes a total of twenty four recommendations for the future of police race relations in Scotland. Some of the key recommendations include:
- Ensuring proper attention is given to community cohesion and stability across Scotland
- Broadening and deepen existing consultation with minority ethnic people, with a particular focus on those groups perceived as 'hard to reach'
- Improving levels of senior liaison and dialogue in Scotland on the issues of immigration and asylum
- Carrying out a needs analysis of information required on policing and related matters by minority ethnic people in Scotland
- Pursuing vigorously positive action in recruiting minority ethnic police officers, with an increasing focus on police support staff and special constables
- Fulfilling the desire for a minority ethnic police framework in Scotland.
Translated versions of this executive summary in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gaelic, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu are available from HMIC or on the web at www.scotland.gov.uk/hmic
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