Institutionalised racism in the U.K. police - Essay Example

?“In the modern world does alized racism in the police in the UK still exist, and if so what are they doing to stop it” enter the Name and Code Number University or College Name of Professor 14th January, 2012. 1. Introduction God has made human beings as equal beings,. None of them has any priority over the other. Humans are born with different colors, different languages and other demographical characteristics. They are all given equal right towards living their life. When individuals love in a society or in a country then all of them are and should be given equal right to live, earn and to justice as well. When discrimination comes in justice then there is no justice and if there is no justice then no one can live life at its full. Hence no one should be treated differently when it comes to justice and equality. Racism is a kind of hatred for the people with different skin color, language, culture, country or other demographical differences. It has existed in humans since the inception of world. Modern man is thought to have been freed of such differences. The modern countries claim that they are free of such difference but it is proved by different situations and incidents hat it still exists in there. If a person is given job on the basis of the fact that he is born white and a person is not hired on the basis of the fact that he is born then this is called racism. Police department is set up in every country to provide security and justice to people. Different people live in UK and they all need justice. In UK people depend on the police department and assume that they will help them in all problems. The services provided by the UK police department are no doubt incredible. But there are times when it come to white and the black or Asians that there is discrimination observed clearly, even in the police department of the United Kingdom. Racism can be eliminated with the help of reshaping the attitudes of people. People should realize that it is important to live as humans and not as people with different attributes. It is not appropriate that the right to live good life is restricted to some people while others have to suffer. When things are ideal at individual level then they are also helpful at collective or institutional level. Similarity in the attitudes and beliefs is increasing in the world, with individuals sorting themselves into like-minded communities that serve as “echo chambers” for their existing opinions. We should not limit our way of analyzing the information provided by sources. The police department has made efforts to get rid of the institutionalized racism but has it succeeded in doing so? In the assignment, I have discussed the most important cases, articles and aspects of racism that exist in the UK police department. 2. In the modern world does institutionalized racism in the police in the UK still exist, and if so what are they doing to stop it Modern world is not free of racism. It exists in the minds of people, it is found in the societies and the departments as well. Racism is observed in daily lives, it is observed in recruitment as well. People posses a certain degree of hatred for people who are not of their culture, skin tone and language etc. hatred in any form gives birth to crime and injustice. It should not be a part of departments so that they can perform their duties honestly. To understand racism, let’s consider the Stephen Lawrence case first. 2.1 Stephen Lawrence Case: Stephen Lawrence was an 18 years old student and was killed by a bunch of youth in London. There were five white young men who attached Lawrence who himself was a black. Lawrence’s family filed a complaint against the racist men but the police did not do hard enough to solve the case. The police department is that department of UK which is highly recommended and liked by the people. It is liked because they are known to provide justice to people. But in this case things were opposite. The police department tried to save the people who killed Stephen Lawrence. They should have been the ones who were supposed to put the murderers to trial but they kept on protecting them. According to CNN (Gilbert, 2012), they had fears that the tracking of this case might trigger the racism. The Lawrence family felt that the police did not investigate properly and hence could not find the criminals; this was also confessed by the police. The main reason for them not to find the criminals was that there wasn’t the “will” present. Some suspects were caught but there was not enough evidence found against them hence Lawrence’s parents made a private prosecution against them. The murder case could not be solved and it enraged the Lawrence family. Daily Mail and UK tabloid newspaper accused five men of the murder and claimed that they were right and if they were wrong then they can be sued (Gilbert, 2012). Four years later the Home Secretary, Straw announced an inquiry into the crime. The five suspects had to go under trial but continuously the police was trying to protect them. In Daily Mail 1996, it is declared that it is only the Racism of police that was the reason for the murderers of Lawrence case to walk free (Wright, 2012). In Daily Mail 1996, no police officer could be questioned for the unlawful investigation over the flawed investigation. In Daily Mail 1999, it was declared that police officers avoided appearing in court and it was a shameful act of theirs. Scotland Yard also made it clear that one of the senior detective also disappeared from hearing session. It was published in Daily Mail 1999 that the judge accused the police as being ‘institutionally racist’ in Lawrence case. This case continued till year 2000 when Lawrence family was given a compensation of ?320,000 and only two suspects were jailed and freed as well. A mother wants justice for her son’s murder and not compensation. This is the reason why the Lawrence family is still waiting for justice for their son’s murder. In 2011 Daily Mail, it was published that they will be given justice and the case is again into hearing. Also, Dobson and Norris, the two suspects are brought to court as suspects’ against Lawrence murder case. Stephen Lawrence case was the basis of fear amongst people. The minorities of the society did not feel at ease in UK. Therefore, there were different steps taken by the UK government and the police department to ensure justice but with the Secret Policeman Documentary, racism was further explored. Let’s discuss it to understand the amount of racism present in the UK police department. 2.2 Secret Policeman Documentary BBC: There was a documentary which was on aired by the BBC One Channel. There was a reporter named Mark Daly who revealed racism existing in the police of Manchester. This documentary was made as a response to the injustice towards Lawrence case. The incidents filmed in this documentary made the Racial Inequality evident. Daily life racism was captured in the film which proved racism to be a part of this department. In response to it the police also arrested Mark Daly. Racism was still found in the police and 125 recommendations were made for its change. As a result of this documentary, ten police officers resigned, three were removed and twelve were disciplined in this respect. With the help of this documentary, Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) made changes in police training so that they can get rid of racism (The Secret Policeman, 2003). According to The Secret Policeman (2003), BBC News, Commissioner Nicola William said "it is vital that the police service supports the need to treat everybody fairly regardless of their race, religion or color". After five years the documentary named as The Secret Policeman Returns was on aired and it showed that there was progress in racism elimination but it was could not be fully eliminated. The Secret Policeman was the reason of awareness of racism at national level. People understood that racism existed in the institution. It was a thought provoking documentary. It made people realize of the injustice and the attitude of people. It helped police department to understand where they lack accountability and how they should improve themselves in order to serve the people better. People shape their attitudes towards things by general opinions but this documentary helped them in viewing the situation at a wider perspective. This made even the British’s and the white to realize that there should not be racism there in the country and the department as everyone living in a society has equal rights towards justice and should be provided justice equally. 2.3 Institutional racism When it comes to institutional racism then the police department is the one which comes to mind. Even in the modern world it is not free of racism. There are different steps taken by them to get rid of it but still they are not fully successful in it. with the implementation of different strategies it has been ensured that there is a realization of the fact that this institution should be free of racism. There should be a spirit of doing well at job. The police in the Stephen Lawrence case was not honest towards their job. It should not have been so. The police was the one which was supposed to act responsibility and to act according to the law. The societies cannot prosper when the people develop fear related to the justice and law systems. If a society wants to become an example of equality then all the people residing in it should be given equal right to live and to get justice. None of them should be deprived of this basic right of theirs. With the help of the Stephen Lawrence case and the Secret Policeman Documentary, the amount of institutional racism of the UK police department is evident. Stereotyping is the correct word for understanding institutional racism. It means not to understand, investigate and to assume about people of different race on the ground of discrimination. Being judgmental about people just on the basis of racism is not an appropriate thing to do especially when it comes to the police department. It exists in the UK police department. It is the modern concept of world that one should not be judgmental about others but we do not find it there in the societies. According to Green (2000, p.17), Sir William Macpherson of Cluny said that institutional racism is not new or unique in the police department. It has been part of it and there are different steps taken by the department in order to get rid of it. Amount of ethnic minority officer taken by the UK police department is lower than the general ratio of people residing there. The people who are interviewed and selected are also generally the white ones rather than blacks or Asians. There is a discrimination that lies in the recruitment and also in the case handling. The whites are less likely to resign as well and the minorities resign a lot when they are in service. If we observe in university life, we find that whites are generally friends with whites, Indians with Indians and blacks with blacks. Why is it so? We are all acquiring the same knowledge and we all belong to modern world therefore we should have broad perspective to deal with things therefore we should be friends with one another. The students who snub others on the basis of that they are white are not just. Students and youth form a major group of society and it is the youth which is responsible for the change in behaviors and attitudes. Therefore, we should clear our minds and hearts of discriminations and racism. Attitude represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for something, it is the way you feel about things. They can be positive or negative. Behavior is the action done in response to any change. It is the normal way of ours to carry out general everyday activities of life. Whenever we observe any kind of injustice done to any fellow human being on the basis of racism then we should raise our voices. If there does exists a white who discourages the act of discrimination towards a black or Asian, then there exists a hope of betterment. Racism should not be encouraged to make the world a better place to live in. The people living in the United Kingdom who have a minority are concerned about their security. Every human being requires security and justice to live. Therefore, they are attracted towards organizations which are helpful for them. According to Phillips (2005), the black and Asian professional associations have a vital role in delivering justice to the people of UK. They understand the culture and ethics of these people as they are one of them. Many people contact them to pursue their cases. In the article and case study made by Philips (2005), it is declared that institutional racism does exist in the British police. This act of finding people who are similar to you is beneficial but at the same time contradicting. If United Kingdom is a multi cultural country and welcomes everyone to live a good life there then there should not have been a need or requirement for the people to find someone similar to them. Similarity should have been a part of the society and every person should have felt at ease when it came to safety and security. With this thing eliminated at the individual level, it is possible for getting rid of it at institutional level. In order to get rid of institutional racism, the spirit of growing as an institution and organization which is there to serve people should be there. Different strategies are introduced by the police department in order to get over with racism. There was a strategy known as the “protect and respect” strategy in the year 1998. According to that strategy, organizational commitment was promoted. It made people think as their duty is to provide justice which should be there priority. They should not let racism come between their services. This strategy also helped in the improvement of recruitment, improved transparency, and accountability and investigation system. With the help of this strategy more recruitment of minorities were made on the basis of eligibility rather than on racism. A Racial and Violent Crime Task Force (RVCTF) was also established in the year 1998. It helped in elimination of racism and hatred (Green, 2000, pp.15 - 16). United Kingdom is a multi racial society and it should be an example of justice and independence in this respect. In the Stephen Lawrence case, it is a fact that police did not perform its duties well; also people were unable to understand that he was undergoing injustice. That is because there is a lack of understanding of racism. People should be well aware of racism at individual level. When things and attitudes are corrected at individual level life becomes much better collective level. When it comes to United Kingdom, then it should also be understood that the people residing in it want to live together. There is a need of people to rise above the ground of differences and to embrace each others as humans and to live peacefully, making United Kingdom an example of humanity around the globe. 3. Conclusion: In the modern world institutionalized racism in the police in the UK still exists. The police department did try to get rid of the institutionalized racism but it has not fully succeeded in getting over it. It is something that naturally exists in the human kind. But for the justice to prevail, it is necessary for it to get eliminated. The police department should be free of this ill in order to provide people the best possible justice. Different initiatives are taken by the UK government and the UK police department in order to get rid of it. They include Racial and Violent Crime Task Force and “protect and respect strategy”. With the help of these initiatives and strategies there has been efforts made for improvement. The department says to have improved as well but with the help of observation we observe racism daily in UK. On the other hand, it is not the duty of a department to ensure justice but it requires the change of attitude and behaviors on the whole to get rid of this problem. We should not blame the department as a whole of not performing its duties at its full. Departments are made with the help of different people working together. If the people make their minds clear of such hypocrisies and discriminations then racism will get eliminated. It is the duty of every individual and group residing in the UK, to look into his actions and if he finds racism in them then he should work in getting rid of it. With the change in perceptions, attitudes and behaviors, it can be ensured that no other student will have a fate like Stephen Lawrence. It was the minds of the white students which made them murder Stephen Lawrence. If they had a mature thinking towards racism then they would have not done such a big crime. Hence, it is extremely important for us to shape the thinking of the society for the betterment of other people. Moreover, if the police department acted maturely and performed their duty honestly, the murderers of Stephen Lawrence case would have been brought to justice. It was their duty to provide justice to the innocent young boy rather than getting engaged in saving the life of five white men just because they were white. The police should have realized that they are murderers and criminals and kept this thing at priority rather than making them safe. Hence, I conclude that it is a joint duty of police department and the people to provide justice to every individual of the society. No one should be saved from punishments just because of racism and also, no one should be exempt from getting justice on the basis of racism as well. It is the basic right of every individual to live his life to its full and to get justice and he should be provided with it. 4. References  Gilbert, D., 2012. Q&A: Why is the Lawrence verdict so important? CNN World. [online] Available at < http://articles.cnn.com/2012-01-04/world/world_europe_stephen-lawrence-case-explained_1_paul-condon-youths-racism?_s=PM:EUROPE > [Accessed 14 Jan 2012]. Green, G., D., 2000. Institutional Racism and the Police: Fact or Fiction?, The Institute for the Study of Civil Society. Phillips, C., 2005. Facing inwards and outwards? Institutional racism, race equality and the role of Black and Asian professional associations, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Vol.4 (5), Sage Journal. The Secret Policeman, 2003. BBC News. [online] Available at < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/7650207.stm > [Accessed 14 Jan 2012]. Wright, S., 2012. The Mail's victory: How Stephen Lawrence's killers were finally brought to justice years after our front page sensationally branded the evil pair murderers, Mail Online. [online] Available at < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2080159/Stephen-Lawrence-case-How-killers-finally-brought-justice.html > [Accessed 14 Jan 2012]. Read More