James Cleverly warned to not repeat Suella Braverman errors as overview backfires
James Cleverly should not repeat the identical “tropes and terminology” as Suella Braverman, the top of the police racism watchdog has mentioned.
In an interview with the Mirror, Nick Glynn informed the Home Secretary to recognise “his words have immense power and influence” as he warned that law enforcement officials are “not immune” to being influenced by dangerous narratives. He gave the instance of Ms Braverman describing unlawful migration as an “invasion”, in addition to her interference in pro-Palestine protests, which she described as “hate marches”.
“I know what it’s like as a Police Commander to keep the balance right and it’s hard. The Home Secretary’s job should not be making that more difficult for policing,” he mentioned. “They should be being as supportive, or as quiet as appropriate, and to let them get on with treading that very difficult path and keeping that balance.”
It comes because the official police inspectorate warned that prime politicians are attempting to affect police operations by placing senior officers underneath strain earlier this month. The overview into “woke” policing was ordered by Ms Braverman as she was involved about police “pandering to politically correct causes”. But the overview backfired, as an alternative criticising politicians themselves.
Mr Glynn, who’s interim-chair of the Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board (ISOB), is holding police forces accountable to the Police Race Action Plan, which was arrange in June 2020 after the homicide of George Floyd within the US by a white policeman. Nearly 4 years on, he criticised a “lack of progress” particularly in relation to the police’s use of energy. This can embrace something from cease and search and strip searches to using pepper spray, handcuffs, tasers or firearms.
He mentioned the Home Office doesn’t give any “direct funding” with all efforts coming from police budgets. “What we do see from the Home Office, and the two previous Home Secretaries, is criticism of things like a Police Race Action Plan and use of terms like ‘woke’ and other similar tropes that are used to denigrate it and to criticise this kind of work and sowing division instead of saying things that recognise that things can be improved and helping things along,” he mentioned. “So hopefully James Cleverly will change that course but we’ll wait and see, I’m not so sure that will happen.”
Gavin Stephens, the top of Britain’s police chiefs, took the unprecedented transfer to confess he believes policing is “institutionally racist”. Meanwhile Ms Braverman refused to make use of the time period even after an impartial report by Dame Louise Casey discovered “institutional racism, sexism and homophobia within the Met”. The ex-Home Secretary branded it “an ambiguous, contested and politically charged term that is much misused and risks making it harder for officers to win back the trust of communities”.
Mr Glynn said having the Home Office get behind the Police Race Action Plan would help tackle “inconsistent activity and progress” across the 44 different police forces and British Transport Police. “I think if the Home Office funded this work it would add to the strength of the fact this work needs to be done and this work is supported because across 44 police forces, there is varying support for the plan,” he said.
“Some Police Constables have come out and said: ‘Yes, policing is institutionally racist and this is absolutely necessary.’ And other chiefs have said: ‘It doesn’t exist.’ Or other chiefs have said: ‘The terminology is unhelpful.’ So for the Home Office to take the lead from that perspective and back it up with funding I think would help those police forces and communities to see some benefit.”
Asked how he feels about Ms Braverman’s language, including her descriptions of illegal migration as a “hurricane” and an “invasion”, in an interview with the Times in November, Mr Cleverly said: “I’m not focused quite as much on describing it, I’m going to spend time dealing with it. Don’t talk tough, be tough. I am a player on the pitch. It’s not my job to try and think about creative ways of describing a situation. It is my job to deal with a situation.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “The Police Race Action Plan is independently led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing. We have been clear in saying that more needs to be done in policing to ensure everyone is treated fairly and without prejudice, regardless of their race or background.
“Following the recruitment of 20,000 additional officers in England and Wales, we now have the most diverse police force in history and we will be introducing additional safeguards on suspicionless stop and search to strengthen the trust between the police and local communities.”
