In response to the Metropolitan Police (Met) announcement of a new Race Action Plan, which promises a “communities-first, frontline focused, inclusive” policing model for Londoners, Green Party London Assembly Member Committee Zoë Garbett issued the following statement:
I want to express my respect for the efforts of the many Londoners who contributed to the development of this new policy.
However, I am deeply concerned that it has taken the Met almost two years to take a stand against racism after Baroness Casey's initial report. Additionally, I fear that this new plan fails to address the most important demands of Londoners.
The data is clear. Londoners do not want safer strip-searching policies for children: they want to prohibit strip-searching of all children.
Overcoming the entrenched racism in the Met will require much more than just a shiny press release.
