The Tory push to ban the recording of non-crime hate incidents is wrong
Baroness Lawrence | Image courtesy of UK Parliament
3 min read
On the very morning of the 32nd anniversary of the brutal murder of my son Stephen Lawrence in a racist attack, shadow home secretary Chris Philp chose to call for the end of non-crime hate incidents being recorded by the police.
Describing this as a “a total waste of police time”, the Conservative MP announced that his party would be tabling an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill currently going through Parliament. The change would seek to ban forces from logging what he described as “trivial” incidents, and force them to focus on catching “real criminals”.
Stephen Lawrence
The investigation into my son’s murder by the Metropolitan Police was plagued by incompetence, corruption and institutional racism. The public inquiry into my son’s case, conducted by Sir William Macpherson, found that the police were institutionally racist. For the first time, a racist crime was defined as any which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person.
In one simple sentence, Sir William sought to change the lives of the thousands of people who suffered racism in this country. It was a seminal moment in British history and forced the police to take action when victims of racism were ignored, disbelieved or even worse, abused by the police themselves. Sir William made this recommendation because of the sorry history of the police in dealing with victims of racism, as reflected in the investigation into Stephen’s murder. That was in 1998.
Tackling racism in all its forms must be something we should all work to do and be proud of doing. There is an even greater responsibility on the institutions of this country. If it is faced honestly and tackled immediately, there is a chance that we can eventually make society a better place for all of us to live in. Sir William knew this and tried to ensure that our institutions took that responsibility seriously. It therefore concerns me to hear that the Conservative Party is trying to reverse the work that has been done in the last three decades for what I can only assume is some sort of political point-scoring.
As I am so painfully aware, words have consequences
What happened to my son might not have occurred if society did not tolerate racism and did more to stop it and prevent it. That can only happen if the police are given the powers and responsibilities to tackle it – and to tackle it from day one. That means taking action at the first sign of race hate incidents. If you let these incidents pass and do not deal with them, you give the wrong signal to those who want to fan the flames of bigotry and hate. That can, and often does, lead to violence.
As I am so painfully aware, words have consequences. I am troubled by the Conservative Party taking the approach it has, and I would urge it – and its leader Kemi Badenoch – to abandon this plan. Amending the Crime and Policing Bill to end the recording of non-crime hate incidents would be a huge step backwards. What is yet more troubling and upsetting to me is that this announcement was made on Stephen Lawrence Day – the day when I remember my son at the spot he fell and died, when we should all be remembering the legacy that has been left from the brutal, racist murder of my son.
Baroness Lawrence is a Labour peer
