Revealed: The staggering number of people concerned about sexism and racism in the police

Charities call for ‘radical rethink of the role of police in our communities’

Charities questioned why the government was expanding stop and search and increasing other 'racially disproportionate' police powers (Getty Images)

Three-quarters of people are concerned about sexism and racism in the police, while four in five fear officers are “abusing their power”, new polling shows.

A survey found that 68 per cent of Britons were also worried about people dying following contact with the police, and the treatment of young Black people.

The research was carried out for human rights groups including Liberty and Inquest, as part of a report calling for change to the response to youth violence.

It said British policing was “in crisis”, adding: “A series of shameful scandals has brought the police deeper into public disrepute and highlighted the violent racism running through it.”

As well as the murder of Sarah Everard and horrific sex crimes by David Carrick, the report cited the death of Chris Kaba, strip search of Black schoolgirl Child Q, and the revelation that two officers guarding the bodies of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman had circulated photos of the deceased women on WhatsApp.

Charities questioned why the government was expanding stop and search and increasing other “racially disproportionate” police powers, under the Public Order Bill, at a time of falling trust.

Martha Spurrier, the director of Liberty, said too many people were treated badly by the police “simply for going about their daily lives, particularly women and people of colour”.

“It’s time to radically rethink the role of police in our communities. Instead of handing more powers to an institution that can’t be trusted with them, we must make sure all our communities have the resources and tools we need to support our children and young people to flourish,” she added.

The report called for a new approach to youth violence, including an end to school exclusions, changes to the way drug possession is treated and a stop to the use of “joint enterprise” murder prosecutions.

The survey showed that 76 per cent of people were concerned about the impact of youth service closures, and 69 per cent back an alternative approach to tackling serious youth violence, saying that the government should tackle the root causes.

Earlier this month, the new chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said he would use the start of his tenure to journey around the country listening to forces and partners on their priorities.

Chief Constable Gavin Stephens said: “Our challenge around rebuilding trust and confidence cannot be underestimated. We must aspire to and achieve the very highest professional standards, rooting out the behaviours that do not belong in policing. We must also be highly effective at crime prevention and investigation to be relevant to our communities.

“We need to be positive and proactive in our police work, really listening to the concerns of our communities, addressing them and then openly reporting back on what we have done.”

The Home Office said it was working to strengthen police disciplinary and vetting systems, and was giving bespoke funding to programmes tackling serious violence.

A spokesperson added: “The home secretary has been clear that culture and standards in policing must be raised to regain the trust and confidence of all communities and work is underway to ensure this happens.

“We are determined to tackle the underlying causes of serious youth violence. We continue to redouble our efforts with a twin-track approach, combining tough enforcement to get dangerous weapons off the streets with programmes that steer young people away from crime, with Violence Reduction Units delivering early intervention and prevention programmes to divert young people away from crime.”

The survey was an online poll of 2,000 people carried out by Walnut Unlimited from March 29 to 31, 2023.

This article was amended on May 2 2023 to include more information about the poll.