S3E9 An institutionally racist police force: Process of elimination

Media Storm

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: https://mediastormpodcast.com/2023/09/04/3-9-an-institutionally-racist-police-force-process-of-elimination-pt-1/

Join Media Storm LIVE at Kings Place, London, Saturday 16th Sep, 7pm: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/media-storm-2/

This is the first in a three-part Media Storm investigation into institutional racism in UK police forces. In it, we provide statistical evidence of institutional racism at a recruitment level and, with the help of lived experience, identify where it is occurring and how to fix it.

This investigation follows the conclusion of Police Uplift, a three-year initiative by the Conservative Government to recruit 20,000 new police officers. This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure police forces represent the communities they serve, an opportunity that the government and National Police Chief’s Council promised would be seized.

Yet Media Storm’s data falsifies a key assumption informing their diversity schemes, one that is also used to excuse slow progress: the idea that People of Colour are less likely to apply to be police officers than people of White British ethnicity. For Police Uplift, Media Storm reveals, Minority Ethnic groups were over-represented among police candidates, but underrepresented among those appointed.

This proves that the problem lies not with communities but with the assessment process, during which minorities are eliminated at discriminatory rates. Join Media Storm and guest experts for an in-depth dive into what is going wrong, as we ask the question: What does “institutional racism” actually mean?

The episode is created by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia). The music is by Samfire (@soundofsamfire).

Buy the team a coffee on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast

Guests

• Dr Pete Jones @fatwhitebloke
• Chris Donaldson, co-founding member of National Black Police Association @trojan1963
• Andy George, President of NBPA @andygeorgeni

Sources

• Subscribe to Media Storm on Patreon for access to FOI data: https://www.patreon.com/MediaStormPodcast
• Police Uplift appointment data (can beaccessed quarterly): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-officer-uplift-quarterly-update-to-march-2023
• Police Uplift announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-campaign-to-recruit-20000-police-officers-launches-today
• Ethnic representation preceding Uplift: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/955182/police-workforce-mar20-hosb2020.pdf

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