Institutional Racism

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By Sean Seddon & Sima KotechaBBC News

Baroness Lawrence has said The Met Police is still " rotten to The core" 30 years After Her son, Stephen, was murdered and The Force was found to be institutionally racist.

The found evidence of continuing systemic Racism in The Met , against both staff and The Public .

Officers told The Bbc they've experienced racist abuse on The Job .

The Met 's Commissioner Mark Rowley said he accepts The Report 's " diagnosis" but not The term " institutional".

The Report by Baroness Louise Casey comes 24 years after The , which looked at The Investigation into Stephen Lawrence 's racially-motivated killing and exposed Institutional Racism in The Met , The UK's biggest police force.

Prejudice is " alive and well" in The Met , The Casey Report says, with The consequences felt by those working in The organisation and The millions of people served by it.

Baroness Lawrence said it was " no surprise" to her that discrimination " in every form is clearly rampant in its ranks" after The Report also unearthed widespread evidence of homophobia and misogyny.

She Said The Met had had "30 years to put its house in order" since her son's murder but has failed to do, " either because it does not want to or it does not know how to".

The Casey Report found black Londoners remained " over-policed and under-protected" and said those from an ethnic minority background were more likely to be stopped and searched, handcuffed, batoned and Tasered, creating a situation where trust and consent have been eroded.

Despite policing The Most diverse city in The country, More Than four-fifths of Met officers were white and The Report said this would take nearly 40 Years to correct on current recruitment trajectories.

Bullying is rife within The Met 's ranks, The Report says, and leaders do not take claims of discrimination seriously, with The complaint often being " turned against" a non-white officer. This meant black officers were 81% more likely to be involved in misconduct hearings than their white counterparts, it found.

Speaking anonymously to BBC Newsnight, a black serving Met officer said: " I've been called a monkey, a banana has been left on my chair. Its just unbelievable. They're sick. "

" You think this might have happened decades ago but to still happen now, it just shows nothing has changed. I have no faith in The People here because it just goes on and on. I Wish Those People could feel what we feel. They deserve to suffer The Pain Racism makes us feel. "

An anonymous Asian officer said they had been told on duty they " smell of curry" that they look " dirty" and " filthy" and " need to have a wash".

The same officer said The Force 's " canteen culture, as it's called, is so deep and strong that it's impossible to get rid of".

Baroness Casey spoke to serving officers as part of her investigation. One black female officer said she felt she " had to try to be invisible" or risk getting " a reputation as a troublemaker".

A former senior officer recounted The " humiliating" experience of being stopped and searched, and another black officer said colleagues had on occasion mistaken him for a prisoner or potential intruder in police stations.

Another black female officer said they witnessed a white officer using highly offensive racist language to verbally abuse a White Woman who had been caught buying drugs from a Black Man .

The Report found a persistent a view among some in The Met that people from Ethnic Minorities who progress only do so because of positive action initiatives.

One senior officer said they were openly asked in a large meeting in 2022 " did you get where you got to because you are black? ".

A Sikh officer told Baroness Casey they " don't feel comfortable" telling others from their community to join The Force .

Another told Baroness Casey: " The Ugly truth is that The organisation is riddled with Racism - how much have people Like Me acquiesced? "

Sir Mark Rowley has accepted there are systemic biases within The Met and says he is committed to rooting out racist, homophobic and misogynistic staff.

Baroness Casey uncovered evidence of widespread failings, including chronic under-resourcing for tackling crimes against women and children, The collapse of neighbourhood policing and oversight failures which have allowed predatory behaviour to " flourish".

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Source of news: bbc.com