Latest news with #BlackLondoners
Belfast Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Head of group representing Black officers accuses PSNI of racial discrimination after investigation over social media post
KRW Law is acting on behalf of Andy George – a senior serving PSNI chief inspector and head of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) – who was placed under investigation over a post on social media platform X. "We have filed an application on his behalf to the Office of the Industrial Tribunal and Fair Employment Tribunal, alleging racial discrimination against the PSNI," the legal firm said in a statement. Details of the incident emerged in March when Mr George claimed the decision to place him under a misconduct investigation 'sends a chilling message' and 'stifles free speech'. The post in question followed the case of firearms officer Martyn Blake, who was cleared of murder by a jury after shooting dead an unarmed man, Chris Kaba. Following the acquittal, the Metropolitan Police promoted Mr Blake from sergeant to inspector despite the police watchdog believing he should face a hearing for alleged gross misconduct. Mr George compared Mr Blake's treatment with that of Black and Asian officers who he said are more likely to face disciplinary action than their white colleagues. In November, he reposted a Daily Mail article about the promotion of Mr Blake whose career had stalled until his acquittal. Mr George added: 'Regardless of your feelings on the case, this will come as a slap in the face to the disproportionate number of Black officers under investigation for misconduct and being held back in their own careers! No doubt an impact on Black Londoners as well.' Speaking today on the significance of the case, Mr George's legal representative said the 'draconian move' of the PSNI 'sets the wrong tone for the promotion and protection of the interests and rights of the 6,000 strong NBPA membership'. Senior KRW Law associate solicitor Barry O'Donnell said: 'Andy George has been penalised for displaying tremendous leadership in protecting the rights and interests of minorities within wider policing in the UK. 'The PSNI misconduct action taken against him was unnecessarily punitive. "We allege it breaches his rights to freedom of expression under Article 10 of the human rights [convention] among other violations. "This draconian move sets the wrong tone for the promotion and protection of the interests and rights of the 6000 strong NBPA membership. "We are very pleased to confirm the support of the Good Law Project who are partnered with ourselves in fighting this case.' News Catch Up - Monday 19 May Mr George joined the RUC in 1999 and spent his first eight years in a response team before moving to the Armed Response Unit for 10 years. He attended his first NBPA meeting in July 2016 and was elected onto the cabinet as sponsorship co-coordinator in October 2017 before becoming male vice president in October 2019 and president in October 2020.
The Guardian
04-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Leader of UK's black police officers under investigation over tweet
The leader of Britain's black and Asian police officers has been placed under investigation over a tweet. Ch Insp Andy George, the president of the National Black Police Association, said the decision to place him under a misconduct investigation 'sends a chilling message' and 'stifles free speech'. His tweet followed the case of the firearms officer Martyn Blake, who was cleared of murder by a jury after shooting dead an unarmed man, Chris Kaba. After the acquittal, the Metropolitan police promoted Blake from sergeant to inspector despite the police watchdog believing he should face a hearing for alleged gross misconduct. George's tweet compared Blake's treatment with that of black and Asian officers, who are more likely to face disciplinary action than their white colleagues. In November 2024 George, himself a former firearms officer, retweeted a MailOnline piece about the promotion of Blake, whose career had stalled until his acquittal. He then tweeted: 'Regardless of your feelings on the case, this will come as a slap in the face to the disproportionate number of Black officers under investigation for misconduct and being held back in their own careers! No doubt an impact on Black Londoners as well.' George, who is a critic of the police's record on race, said: 'It is deeply concerning that I am facing misconduct proceedings simply for speaking out on issues that directly impact Black officers and communities. 'My role is to advocate for fairness, accountability and justice within policing. This action sends a chilling message, not just to me, but to all Black officers who raise concerns about racial disparities in policing. 'It stifles free speech, undermines my ability to represent our members and reinforces the very inequalities we are fighting to address. 'Policing must be open to scrutiny, not silence those who seek positive change. 'This is the latest in a series of misconduct proceedings brought for engagement on X and is in stark contrast to how the [Police] Federation and senior officers are treated when they speak out.' The decision to place George under investigation was made by the force he works for, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The discipline notice warns George that he 'may have breached the PSNI code of ethics' and says it follows an allegation the force has received. The complainant alleged the tweet stirred up racial division, was biased and parts had no factual basis. They said: 'Yet again I write to complain about Inspector Andy George …' 'It is likely to stir up hate, division, and acrimony among officers.' The complaint that the PSNI based its investigation on continues: 'It is high time this man was removed from policing as it is clear he is intent on harming relations between different races of officers, especially in the Met.' Blake was charged with murder after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The IOPC is now considering whether it should pursue Blake for gross misconduct, despite anger in sections of policing who view his treatment as unfair, or drop its pursuit of him. After Blake's acquittal in three hours by a jury, seen as a sign of a weak case, it was alleged Kaba was a core member of a violent gang and was suspected of a shooting. It led to pressure to make it harder to put officers on trial. A government review is expected to give – as police see it – greater protections for officers when they use force as part of their duties. Some see it as immunity for agents of the state. The PSNI, first contacted on Friday, did not comment.
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Stop and search: will the new Metropolitan Police charter overcome distrust?
Britain's largest police force has published a 'charter' for stop and search, two years after it was severely criticised in an independent review for 'over-policing and under-protecting' Black Londoners. It is the response by the Metropolitan Police to Baroness Casey's demand for a 'fundamental reset' of the tactic, which is widely considered to be used in a discriminatory way against members of ethnic minorities. The Met says the charter has been put together following 18 months of engagement with more than 8,500 Londoners of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. It includes commitments that officers should use respectful communication and tone when carrying out stop and search, that they will be given improved training and supervision, and that complaints will be handled more effectively. Sir Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner, said the charter was not about reducing the use of stop and search, but about 'doing it better by improving the quality of encounters, informed by the views of the public it is intended to protect'. Hasn't stop and search always been controversial? Even before the founding of the Metropolitan Police by Sir Robert Peel in 1829, constables had the power under the Vagrancy Act 1824 to search anyone suspected of being 'disorderly' or 'a rogue and vagabond'. This and similar powers were known as 'sus laws' (short for 'suspicion') and contributed to friction between the police and many young Black Britons. After the Brixton riots in 1981, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 introduced a power to stop and search people if the police had 'reasonable grounds' for doing so. The Macpherson report of 1999, which found that the Met was 'institutionally racist', accepted that stop and search was necessary but called for all stops to be recorded and monitored. Wasn't it one of Theresa May's 'burning injustices'? When she became prime minister, she said: 'If you're Black, you're treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you're white.' Previously, as home secretary, she had responded to the increasing use of stop and search by trying to reduce it. May brought in a Best Use of Stop and Search (Buss) scheme, and reiterated earlier guidance that said that personal factors, including ethnicity, were not reasonable grounds for a search. The House of Commons Library commented: 'A substantial reduction in the use of stop and search powers did follow these reforms, and they appeared to contribute to improved practice among police officers. However, the disparity in stop and search rates by ethnicity did not improve, as searches of white people fell faster than searches of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people.' Does stop and search work? 'Evidence regarding the impact of stop and search on crime is mixed,' conclude the House of Commons Library researchers. 'There is little evidence to suggest that stop and search provides an effective deterrent to offending. Stop and search is more effective at detection, but still most searches result in officers finding nothing.' They continue: 'However, those in policing argue that when stop and search is targeted and conducted in line with the law and guidance, they can confiscate dangerous and prohibited items and do so without undermining public trust in the police. Those opposed to stop and search argue that a history of poor use and longstanding ethnic disparities demonstrate that it is a fundamentally flawed police power.' It is striking that none of the inquiries into police conduct that have dealt with the subject have proposed abolishing stop and search – but the issuing of yet another set of guidelines, this time called a 'charter', does raise the question of whether the power can ever be used in a way that commands confidence among all sections of society.
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Researchers uncover stories of Black Londoners who escaped slavery
The untold stories of Black Londoners who escaped slavery in the capital and joined free communities in the East End have been uncovered by researchers who draw comparisons with the Underground Railroad in the US. Findings from Tower Hamlets archives dating back to the 16th century and 'runaway notices' from 18th-century newspapers shed new light on historic Black communities – and grassroots resistance to slavery in the capital. In areas including Stepney, Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse, hundreds of births, deaths and marriages of Black people were recorded between 1567 and 1802. Researchers believe the records are a snapshot of larger East End communities where Black people lived alongside white working-class neighbours, and where people who escaped enslavement and indenture could hide. Some had escaped slavers' ships docked in the city, but many had been living under enslavement in Britain. The findings have been made by the Communities of Liberation project at the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, assisted by Prof Simon Newman of the University of Glasgow. Tony T, the research and engagement lead, said evidence pointed towards the British equivalent of the Underground Railroad – the network of safehouses used by the abolitionist Harriet Tubman to rescue enslaved people in the US – with runaway notices showing people were helped to hide after escaping 'masters' in London. One advert from 29 February 1748 read: 'RUN away last Thursday Morning from Mr. Gifford's, in Brunswick-Row, Queen-Square, Great Ormond-Street, an indentur'd Negro Woman Servant, of a yellowish Cast, nam'd Christmas Bennett; she had on a dark-grey Poplin, lin'd with a grey water'd Silk … and suppos'd to be conceal'd somewhere about Whitechapel. 'Whoever harbours her after this Publication shall be severely prosecuted; and a Reward of a Guinea will be given to any Person who will give Information of her, so that she may be had again.' Another, from 6 June 1743, tells of a woman called Sabinah, who, having escaped the captain of a ship bound for Jamaica, has been 'deluded away by some other Black about Whitechapel'. Parish records reveal the free Black presence grew in all sections of society in London, along with maritime expansion, between the Tudor and Georgian eras. Some Black people owned property, such as Ignatius Sancho, or enjoyed status as valued members of elite households, while others migrated to Britain as workers, soldiers, seamen and musicians. The Black population expanded as captains, merchants and officials brought enslaved people to Britain with them, with scars and collars marking out their status. Life was precarious for many, and for people who escaped bondage, East End safe havens included the White Raven pub in Whitechapel – where Black patrons formed a frontline against bounty hunters – and the church of St George-in-the-East in Shadwell, which, in the mid-18th century, committed to baptising people who had escaped enslavement. 'People were seen as property, wanting to escape was seen as mental illness, and an offence against their owners,' Tony T said. 'How did people stay safe? One way was living in communities. Sign up to The Long Wave Nesrine Malik and Jason Okundaye deliver your weekly dose of Black life and culture from around the world after newsletter promotion 'In the East End of London there are also prominent slave traders … even where Black people are free, they are still living under the shadow of the systems of the slave trade.' In the 18th-century East End, Black people worked in domestic service, as blacksmiths, ropemakers, carpenters, mariners and shipbuilders, in and out of enslavement, T added, some deploying skills brought from Africa. But with money to be made from apprehending people who had fled enslavement, an economy of agents and dungeons – sometimes in pubs – developed in London. In 2018, the University of Glasgow's Runaway Slaves in 18th-Century Britain project collated over 800 notices placed by 'masters' in a database, a reminder, Newman said, that 'slavery was routine and unremarkable in Britain during the first three-quarters of the 18th century'. Communities of Liberation is at Tower Hamlets town hall from 1 March until 29 March, before going on tour for a year.
