UK Black People Face Higher Risk of Dying during Arrest Due to Racism, Report Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Black people in the UK are at a greater risk of dying during police restraint due to racism, according to a new report.
A long-awaited report examining the disproportionate deaths of Black people in police custody in the UK has found "structural racism" to be a significant factor behind the trend.
The report, by the University of Manchester’s Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity, found that Black people were overrepresented in cases where a person had died due to the use of force by police, including restraint, tasers and firearms.
The research analyzed data from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on fatalities during or following police contact in England and Wales between 2004 and 2019. It revealed that the death rate for Black people during police restraint was more than twice that for White people.
"This is a persistent and systematic social injustice that arises from institutional racism in policing and state indifference to its fatal consequences," the report stated.
According to The Independent, the report also acknowledges that police use of force and restraint can be linked to the "overrepresentation" of Black people in custody, stating that "stereotypes and racism" can influence officers' judgments.
It recommends the creation of a new system to address the issue, including the establishment of a National Police Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and the creation of a new independent body to investigate deaths in custody.
"The death of any individual in police custody is a tragedy and every case is thoroughly investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Racism in any form is abhorrent and we are determined to work with the police to eliminate it," a spokesperson for the UK's Home Office said in response to the report.
The report’s authors are calling for a change in the way the police use force and for greater accountability for officers. They also recommended that all restraint-related deaths be investigated by a body independent of the police.
