Doreen Lawrence ‘profoundly concerned’ by slow pace of police reform

Mother of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered by a gang of racist attackers in Eltham in 1993, outlines concerns in a letter to Suella Braverman

The mother of Stephen Lawrence has told the home secretary she remains “profoundly concerned” about the slow pace of reforms regarding serving police officers who commit serious crimes.

Baroness Doreen Lawrence said the existing police misconduct and performance processes do not command the trust and confidence of the police or the public, adding that their application can be “inconsistent and confusing”.

Earlier this year, the head of Britain’s biggest police force said it is “nonsensical” he cannot sack police officers after he moved to clean up the workforce.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he believes hundreds of corrupt officers serving in the force should not be in the job.

In a letter to Suella Braverman, Baroness Lawrence said: “I remain profoundly concerned about the slow pace of reforms to the national regulations, and I believe this concern is shared across the political spectrum.

“Vital changes to the legislative framework are needed to empower police chiefs and give them the tools they need to take fair and effective action to remove anyone falling short of the high standards the public rightly expect of the police.

“I firmly believe that police accountability should not take place behind closed doors, and I hope you would agree.”

Baroness Lawrence said for the Metropolitan Police to truly reform and to gain the trust and confidence of London’s diverse communities, there must be urgent changes to police misconduct and performance legislation.

She said she supports a package of legislative reforms ready to be introduced to Parliament including automatically dismissing a serving officer who is convicted of a serious criminal offence, automatically suspending an officer charged with a serious criminal offence, and automatically dismissing a serving officer who fails vetting.

Other reforms include giving chief constables the power to reopen misconduct investigations and introducing a Duty of Candour, which would require an officer to proactively report any known wrongdoing (by self or others).

Baroness Lawrence concluded her letter by saying: “Together we can fundamentally improve the police disciplinary and performance processes, and I urge you to support these important measures.

“I have sadly felt the institutional failings of the Metropolitan Police Service first-hand, and we must work together so other Londoners are not failed by those who seek to protect them.”

Mr Lawrence was murdered by a gang of five or six racist attackers in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993 as he made his way home with his friend Duwayne Brooks.

Only two of his killers have faced justice – Gary Dobson and David Norris were finally jailed for life in 2012 after a trial hingeing on tiny traces of forensic evidence.

Last month, the BBC named a sixth suspect in the case for the first time, a man called Matthew White, and outlined the bungled handling of the evidence against him.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “As I have been saying for some time current legislation simply isn’t fit for purpose when it comes to rooting out and dismissing corrupt police officers.

“Powers to swiftly dismiss officers who fall short of the high standards expected by the public will be key to restoring trust and faith in the police.

“As Doreen Lawrence has outlined it is absolutely crucial that the scale of police reform is bold and far-reaching. That’s exactly why Harriet Harman and I have brought forward draft legislation that would see those convicted of a serious criminal offence be automatically dismissed with a new Duty of Candour brought in requiring officers to proactively report wrongdoing.

“Government proposals promised long ago still haven’t materialised. The public and those thousands of decent officers are being let down in the meantime.

“To implement the radical changes we need in police forces across the country, there is simply no time for further dither and delay.”