Merseyside Police not institutionally racist, says chief constable

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy says a lot of work is being done to tackle discrimination

Merseyside Police's chief constable has "categorically" denied the force is institutionally racist following claims by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

PCC Emily Spurrell made the comments in an interview with an online channel, Policing TV.

Serena Kennedy said a lot of work was being done to tackle discrimination.

Ms Spurrell has since sought to clarify her comments, saying it was not about individual officers, but it was an important conversation.

She had taken part in an interview with Policing TV reporter Danny Shaw, who asked her: 'Do you accept that Merseyside Police is institutionally racist?'.

In response, Ms Spurrell said the vast majority of officers "are incredibly dedicated" and "not racist" but, as an institution, the force had "been designed by a certain group of people and it does not take into account how black and ethnic minority people might experience things and how they might get treated".

Following the interview, Ms Spurrell, who was elected in May 2021, said in a statement: "However we define it, racism and inequality permeate all our public institutions.

"Our systems and processes were designed by a certain group of people in a different time when the make-up of society was different.

"Some of those structures are outdated and they don't work for all our communities now.

"But we must continue to be actively anti-racist if we are to win trust back, particularly among black communities."

Emily Spurrell, who was elected as Police and Crime Commissioner in May 2021, says racism and inequality permeate all public institutions

She added: "That means being open and honest, owning the problem, and taking proactive steps to redress the balance.

"There's no doubt it is an uncomfortable, difficult conversation."

Ms Kennedy responded to the comments by saying she "categorically" did not believe that Merseyside Police was institutionally racist.

"The history and impact of racism across policing and the harm this has caused to communities and colleagues is clear," she said.

"There has been a lot of work done nationally and locally to understand and address this."

She said policing, like society, was "not free of racial discrimination, bias and disproportionality".

"It still exists in some policies and processes, and we are taking action to change this," she added. "We collectively want to improve, we want to progress, we want to be better."

Progress had already been made, she said, but "we need to do more and we are committed to this".

A former chair of the Merseyside Black Police Association says police forces need greater representation from the communities they serve

Vinny Tomlinson, who was a police officer for 18 years and former chair of the Merseyside Black Police Association, told BBC Radio Merseyside: "You're not necessarily saying people have got hate in their hearts, but they have this collective consciousness of stereotyping and ignorance of black people which is well-established.

"In the absence of the police being reformed significantly, one of the ways it can change is to get greater representation of the communities that they serve.

"The decision-making and the output of the organisation will change because it's being informed from different perspectives."

A spokesman for Merseyside Police Federation said it was "deeply disappointing" to hear Ms Spurrell's comments.

He said: "Our members serve Merseyside to the best of their ability, running towards danger to help members of the public during times of emergency.

"Our members serve a diverse community and are proud to do so."

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