The Scarman Report, The Metropolitan Police and Institutional Racism: Has anything changed since Brixton 1981
The Scarman Report, The Metropolitan Police and Institutional Racism: Has anything changed since Brixton 1981?
Introduction and Brixton Riots
The 1981 Brixton riots and the Scarman Report were supposed to be watershed moments in the history of the Police force in the United Kingdom, especially the Metropolitan Police. However, subsequent events, in particular the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the police failures in that investigation mean that the Metropolitan Police still has a long way to go to remove the shadow of institutional racism.
Large scale immigration took place into the UK after the end of World War 2 from former Commonwealth countries particularly the Caribbean and Indian Sub continent. People were invited here in order to work and assist in rebuilding Britain, but tensions with indigenous people in inner city areas caused some small scale rioting in 1958. MPs used the ongoing antagonisms to push racially motivated rhetoric, culminating in the famous “Rivers of Blood” speech in 1968 by Enoch Powell, where he advocated reductions in immigration numbers and possible repatriation of those already in the UK. This meant that tensions continued to rise throughout the 1970's, and problems were exacerbated by the economic crises during the decade.
At the start of the 1980's, Brixton was seen as a trouble spot for petty crime such as muggings and theft. In response to this, the Metropolitan Police began an aggressive stop and search operation (called Operation Swamp) which seemed to adversely target young black youths. The Metropolitan police had long been viewed with suspicion and mistrust by ethnic minorities in Brixton, particularly in the Afro-Caribbean community, and this new operation made an already tense situation worse. On the night of 10th April, two police officers were attempting to help a black youth who was bleeding from a suspected stab wound when they were approached by a hostile crowd.
These locals from the Afro-Caribbean
Introduction and Brixton Riots
The 1981 Brixton riots and the Scarman Report were supposed to be watershed moments in the history of the Police force in the United Kingdom, especially the Metropolitan Police. However, subsequent events, in particular the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the police failures in that investigation mean that the Metropolitan Police still has a long way to go to remove the shadow of institutional racism.
Large scale immigration took place into the UK after the end of World War 2 from former Commonwealth countries particularly the Caribbean and Indian Sub continent. People were invited here in order to work and assist in rebuilding Britain, but tensions with indigenous people in inner city areas caused some small scale rioting in 1958. MPs used the ongoing antagonisms to push racially motivated rhetoric, culminating in the famous “Rivers of Blood” speech in 1968 by Enoch Powell, where he advocated reductions in immigration numbers and possible repatriation of those already in the UK. This meant that tensions continued to rise throughout the 1970's, and problems were exacerbated by the economic crises during the decade.
At the start of the 1980's, Brixton was seen as a trouble spot for petty crime such as muggings and theft. In response to this, the Metropolitan Police began an aggressive stop and search operation (called Operation Swamp) which seemed to adversely target young black youths. The Metropolitan police had long been viewed with suspicion and mistrust by ethnic minorities in Brixton, particularly in the Afro-Caribbean community, and this new operation made an already tense situation worse. On the night of 10th April, two police officers were attempting to help a black youth who was bleeding from a suspected stab wound when they were approached by a hostile crowd.
These locals from the Afro-Caribbean