An internal review has found that the Metropolitan Police's culture and leadership make racial harm against black people 'institutionally defended' and 'inevitable'. The report, by Dr Shereen Daniels, is the first to focus on the institution as a whole rather than individual scandals.
Published on Friday, the '30 Patterns Of Harm' report draws on internal documents and evidence. It concludes that the force's design ensures racial harm keeps recurring, and that the Met has an 'advanced repertoire' to avoid change. The Met accepted long-standing evidence of racism and discrimination.
The report criticises Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley for refusing to use the term 'institutional racism', calling it political and unclear. It says stop and search converts streets into checkpoints, treating 'blackness itself as probable cause'. Force and coercive tactics are more likely used against black people.
Dr Daniels said the report examines how systems, governance, leadership and culture produce racial harm while protecting the institution from reform. She added that the Charing Cross scandal, which revealed racism and misogyny, was a product of the Met's culture.
Commissioner Rowley said the report is powerful and calls for further systemic change. He noted that trust among black Londoners has improved by 10% in two years but still lags behind. The Met is continuing the largest corruption clear-out in British policing history, he added.
