Police racism is a common problem in western countries
OP: I thought I would compile a few sources on police racism in several western countries.
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The UK has a 'stop and frisk' problem, too
An armed police officer patrols ahead of the arrival of members of Britain's royal family to a service of thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday at St Paul's cathedral in London, Britain, June 10, 2016.
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Over the past week, it feels to many in the US like the already uncomfortable relationship between law enforcement and minorities is unraveling. But fatal shootings and overt violence aren’t the only sources of conflict. "Stop and frisk" searches, for example - which disproportionately affect minorities - have also been a heated point of contention between law enforcement and minority communities.
The UK has a similar problem. Former London police officer Nick Glynn says he has experienced police racism first-hand. Glynn, who is black, has been stopped dozens of times for what the UK calls "stop and search."
The fact that he was a police officer himself had varying effects on the officers who stopped him.
“On some occasions it’s changed the encounter for the better and they have been much more friendly … the encounters ended pretty quickly,” Glynn said, “but on other occasions for some reason it has made it worse.”
A police officer checks an man's mobile phone after stopping and searching him on a back street in the Brixton neighbourhood of London.
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Glynn has no doubt that when people are stopped on the streets of London racial profiling is a key factor. In one of Glynn’s first encounters with the police in the late 1980s, Glynn figured he was stopped because he was driving a new car. But the trend has continued, and he still gets stopped frequently.
“More recently I’ve been stopped a number of times where my genuine belief was the only reason I’ve been stopped is because it’s a black guy driving a car,” Glynn said.
“I don’t think it’s quite on the scale that it is in the US [in the UK] because we have different histories and we have different population makeup, but it’s still a big issue here.”
There are tools available to bring more accountability to policing, however. Glynn notes data on police "stop and search" practices as one of them.
“The availability of data means that both the police internally can have effective scrutiny but also the public can have access to that data … which means they can hold the police to account because policing is done for and with the public.”
Glynn can relate to what’s going on in the United States, and he believes progress can be made to improve the relationships police officers have with minorities.
“It feels like things are spiraling, and there’s a real need for calm collected reflection, honesty, for transparency; for absolutely a focus on looking for solutions.”
SOURCE 1.
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More sources on police racism in the UK:
(1) Police face racism scandal after black man records abuse.
(2) No racial discrimination complaints against Met police upheld. Force faced more than 240 complaints over 12-month period but found no case to answer as black police chief says Met is not learning from previous lessons.
Some sources on this issue in France:
(1) French police officers investigated over 'blackface party'.
(2) France: police brutality, not burkas, the source of tensions. Systemic racism has not seen any consequences among French police forces and contribute to tensions with Muslims.
I direct you also to stoneheart's post to this comm on police racism in Germany.
In Switzerland:
(1) Racisme: la police s'ausculte. (in French)
(2) Swiss court rules police officer's slurs did not breach anti-racism law. (OP is horrified at the laxness of the law that let this guy get off.)
In Austria:
(1) (This is a bit old, but interesting and comprehensive.) Austria: Racism in police and the justice system.
(2) I Was Detained by Austrian Cops Because I'm Black.
In Ukraine:
(1) In Modern Ukraine, People of Color Need Not Apply.
(2) A cop in Ukraine said he was detaining me because I was black. I appreciated it.
In Canada:
(1) Don't let Dallas shootings distract from anti-racism efforts, Montreal's black activists say. The Dallas shootings leave Montreal activists with a complex mix of emotions.
(2) More aboriginal women allege abuse at hands of Quebec provincial police. (The link is to a post to this comm by the OP.)
(3) A recent history of racial profiling and racial policing.
(4) Canadian police agencies suppressing data on race, says criminology study.
In Australia:
(1) Police abuse of Aboriginal man shows racism still rife, says Warren Mundine.
(2) Some statistics on this (from the Australian Bureau of Statistics).
In Russia:
(1) African migrants in Russia describe 'hell on Earth'.
(2) Russia: Letter to the UN Special Rapportuer on Human Rights of Migrants and UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues.
In New Zealand:
(1) One source is here.
(2) We're not racist, but ...
(3) A fair go for all? (A report by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.)
OP: Hopefully these are useful. I thought it was important to show that racism is a huge problem elsewhere as well.
---------------------
The UK has a 'stop and frisk' problem, too
An armed police officer patrols ahead of the arrival of members of Britain's royal family to a service of thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday at St Paul's cathedral in London, Britain, June 10, 2016.
-------------------
Over the past week, it feels to many in the US like the already uncomfortable relationship between law enforcement and minorities is unraveling. But fatal shootings and overt violence aren’t the only sources of conflict. "Stop and frisk" searches, for example - which disproportionately affect minorities - have also been a heated point of contention between law enforcement and minority communities.
The UK has a similar problem. Former London police officer Nick Glynn says he has experienced police racism first-hand. Glynn, who is black, has been stopped dozens of times for what the UK calls "stop and search."
The fact that he was a police officer himself had varying effects on the officers who stopped him.
“On some occasions it’s changed the encounter for the better and they have been much more friendly … the encounters ended pretty quickly,” Glynn said, “but on other occasions for some reason it has made it worse.”
A police officer checks an man's mobile phone after stopping and searching him on a back street in the Brixton neighbourhood of London.
----------------
Glynn has no doubt that when people are stopped on the streets of London racial profiling is a key factor. In one of Glynn’s first encounters with the police in the late 1980s, Glynn figured he was stopped because he was driving a new car. But the trend has continued, and he still gets stopped frequently.
“More recently I’ve been stopped a number of times where my genuine belief was the only reason I’ve been stopped is because it’s a black guy driving a car,” Glynn said.
“I don’t think it’s quite on the scale that it is in the US [in the UK] because we have different histories and we have different population makeup, but it’s still a big issue here.”
There are tools available to bring more accountability to policing, however. Glynn notes data on police "stop and search" practices as one of them.
“The availability of data means that both the police internally can have effective scrutiny but also the public can have access to that data … which means they can hold the police to account because policing is done for and with the public.”
Glynn can relate to what’s going on in the United States, and he believes progress can be made to improve the relationships police officers have with minorities.
“It feels like things are spiraling, and there’s a real need for calm collected reflection, honesty, for transparency; for absolutely a focus on looking for solutions.”
SOURCE 1.
----------------------------
More sources on police racism in the UK:
(1) Police face racism scandal after black man records abuse.
(2) No racial discrimination complaints against Met police upheld. Force faced more than 240 complaints over 12-month period but found no case to answer as black police chief says Met is not learning from previous lessons.
Some sources on this issue in France:
(1) French police officers investigated over 'blackface party'.
(2) France: police brutality, not burkas, the source of tensions. Systemic racism has not seen any consequences among French police forces and contribute to tensions with Muslims.
I direct you also to stoneheart's post to this comm on police racism in Germany.
In Switzerland:
(1) Racisme: la police s'ausculte. (in French)
(2) Swiss court rules police officer's slurs did not breach anti-racism law. (OP is horrified at the laxness of the law that let this guy get off.)
In Austria:
(1) (This is a bit old, but interesting and comprehensive.) Austria: Racism in police and the justice system.
(2) I Was Detained by Austrian Cops Because I'm Black.
In Ukraine:
(1) In Modern Ukraine, People of Color Need Not Apply.
(2) A cop in Ukraine said he was detaining me because I was black. I appreciated it.
In Canada:
(1) Don't let Dallas shootings distract from anti-racism efforts, Montreal's black activists say. The Dallas shootings leave Montreal activists with a complex mix of emotions.
(2) More aboriginal women allege abuse at hands of Quebec provincial police. (The link is to a post to this comm by the OP.)
(3) A recent history of racial profiling and racial policing.
(4) Canadian police agencies suppressing data on race, says criminology study.
In Australia:
(1) Police abuse of Aboriginal man shows racism still rife, says Warren Mundine.
(2) Some statistics on this (from the Australian Bureau of Statistics).
In Russia:
(1) African migrants in Russia describe 'hell on Earth'.
(2) Russia: Letter to the UN Special Rapportuer on Human Rights of Migrants and UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues.
In New Zealand:
(1) One source is here.
(2) We're not racist, but ...
(3) A fair go for all? (A report by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.)
OP: Hopefully these are useful. I thought it was important to show that racism is a huge problem elsewhere as well.