Complaints of racism against front line police officerspersist despite the public commitment of senior officers and years of raceawareness training. The obvious conclusion is that canteen culture eatsequality strategies for breakfast. So why do young blackmen tell us nothing has really changed? Clearly senior police officers haveunderestimated how difficult it is to change the canteen culture. Officersreluctantly followed new procedures, attended conferences, workshops andtraining courses with varying degrees of enthusiasm. No one openly disagreeswith the policy, at least not publically. Some complain that the procedures aretoo long, time consuming and unnecessary, others that they can’t afford to takeofficers away from their duties to go on more equality training courses.Recruitment targets are described as over ambitious, the monitoringarrangements too time consuming and some argued it is counterproductive to publiciselack of progress such as the 2,270 allegations of racist behaviour against onlytwo dismissals in the last five years. Officers may be more careful in their language, some moreso than others, but the actions of some are still informed by the negativestereotypes, myths and ignorance they are caring around in their head.Stereotypes that are constantly reinforce in the canteen by stories from thebeat and in the media. It was these negative stereotypes leading todiscrimination intentional or otherwise that were identified in the Macphersonenquiry into allegations of racial discrimination by the police. It was foundthat within the police force it was a commonly accepted view thatAfrican/Caribbean youths were members of violent gangs, involved in drugdealing or using drugs. This was their rational for stopping and searching 30times as many black youths as white. And of course they considered theiractions justified every time they or a colleague found a knife or drugs as aresult. This was a very dramatic example of how racism could be experience by ablack person. The police officers involved genuinely believed that they werenot racist, their colleagues supported them in this claim and the chiefconstable stated that the force was not racist. In much the same way as seniorofficers today claimed that racism in the force won’t be tolerated and urgeofficers to report any colleague who makes a racist remark. As if this is goingto happen when the front line culture requires fellow officers to support eachother or at the very least say they didn’t see or hear anything, hence 2,2070allegations of racist behaviour and only two dismissals! Following the latest series of complains superintendentCraig Haslam acting borough commander of Newham told local residents he wasdetermined the force would “police communities we serve with dignity, humanity,fairness and respect”. I get the impression that your average officer on thestreet thinks this is fine for law abiding citizens but that those who are notdon’t deserve respect. Students who shout abuse, attempt to disrupt or obstructthose going about their business, “professional protesters” whether its climatechange or anti capitalism and young black men because of their association withdrugs, gangs and knife crime. It must be hard to respect a person you don’trespect which is presumably why they so often don’t. Blair McPherson author of An Elephant in the Room- anequality and diversity training manual publish by Russell House
