Met Police must be trained in recognising unconscious bias
Channel: London Assembly
Date: 2020-09-07

The London Assembly has today called on the Mayor to ensure that all employees in the Metropolitan Police Service are trained in recognising unconscious bias and take refresher courses at least every two years.

Siân Berry AM, who proposed the original motion said:

“The police as a service is failing if the public don’t trust their officers and don’t trust they will be treated fairly.

“We’ve had some very high profile incidents of Black Londoners being stopped and searched in upsetting and humiliating ways, and this is against a backdrop of harsher policing tactics being used disproportionately against Black communities.

“There is a problem in the Metropolitan Police Service, from individual officers to strategic policies, but at the very least, everyone working for the police should have this basic training.”

Unmesh Desai AM, who proposed the amended motion said:

“The events of the last few months have thrown the urgent need to tackle racism in both its overt and systemic forms into sharp relief.

 

“It is clear that the Met needs to keep working towards building a closer and trusting relationship with the communities it polices. To this end, it is crucial that its enforcement tools, such as stop-search, are deployed in a fair and proportionate way.

 

“It has been encouraging to see the Met make significant progress in requiring its officers to undergo regular unconscious bias training. Going forward, it is important that the Mayor plays his part to ensure that this good work continues, and that this training is extended to cover all of the Met’s ranks.”