§ 1. Mr. Barry Gardiner (Brent, North)If he will make a statement on progress made in combating racism in the police force. [99676]
§ The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Jack Straw)Many recommendations of the Macpherson report about racism in the police service have already been implemented, in line with the action plan that I published in March. The promised Bill to extend the scope of the Race Relations Act 1976 in respect of the police and other public authorities was published last Friday. New disciplinary procedures and a code of conduct came into effect in April, making racist language or behaviour a breach of the code. Also in April, I set targets for the recruitment, retention and progression of minority ethnic police officers. In addition, a nationally co-ordinated and funded programme of race awareness training is now under way in police forces.
§ Mr. GardinerI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that response. Will he say how many prosecutions for racially motivated offences have been commenced under the provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998?
§ Mr. StrawThe latest provisional information shows that there have been 99 convictions for the racially aggravated offences provided for under the 1998 Act. Although that is 99 offences too many, in one sense the fact that the prosecutions have taken place shows the importance of making such offences subject to the law.
§ Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet)Does the Home Secretary recall that, in one of his first speeches after his appointment as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Sir Paul Condon condemned racism outright? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that, in the almost seven years that he has been Commissioner, Sir Paul has put that approach into practice, with the result that there is now far less racism in the Metropolitan police 540 than formerly? As Sir Paul nears retirement, would not this be a good opportunity to congratulate him on what he has done to improve race relations in the metropolis?
§ Mr. StrawI am delighted to join the hon. Gentleman in extending those congratulations to the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, whose record on tackling racism is consistent with his broader record of reducing crime in London very significantly during his period in office. It should also be put on record that, even before I introduced the targets for improving the recruitment and retention of black and Asian officers in the police, the Metropolitan police service under Sir Paul's stewardship had made considerable progress in that direction.