British MPs Summon Police Chief Over Racism

The Black and working class youth rebellion in Britain spread to Hackney from Tottenham on August 8, 2011. Various regions of the country were struck by young people responding to racism and the economic crisis., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

UK MPs summon police chief over racism

Fri Apr 13, 2012 10:21AM GMT
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The Metropolitan police chief has been summoned by British MPs for cross-examination over the deepening racism scandal which involves almost 20 officers.

As the racism scandal gripping the British police continues to grow with 10 cases being referred to the UK police watch dog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), Bernard Hogan-Howe is to be cross-examined by British MPs on Tuesday.

Hogan-Howe was appointed as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner in September after Sir Paul Stephenson resigned over links to the phone hacking scandal. The cross-examination is one of the major challenges facing Hogan-Howe since he became the Metropolitan police chief.

Racism within the British police came under spotlight two weeks ago when the Guardian published a video recording showing a police officer racially abusing a 21-year-old black man.

Furthermore, CCTV footage showed another officer kicking a 15-year-od black teenager to the ground forcing him to his knees.

The two incidents occurred on August 11 as the British police was trying to quell the unprecedented unrest triggered by the police’s shooting of an unarmed black man, Mark Duggan.

The Metropolitan police has referred 10 cases of racism to the IPCC as eight police officers and one civilian member of staff have been suspended, reported the Guardian.

Moreover, recent reports show discrimination against the black population in Britain is not restricted to the police’s racial abuse as the number of unemployed black people in Britain shows the social inequality in the labor market.

A new research study has revealed that black people suffered from an 18% unemployment rate in Britain last year while joblessness among the black population in the US stood at 15%, reported the Independent.