Black young men in Leicester and Leicestershire are nearly five times more likely and their Asian peers are 1.35 times more likely to be stopped and searched than their white counterparts.
More than 60% of these searches result in no outcomes. In 2019 – 2020 there were four recorded complaints made regarding stop and search in the Leicester and Leicestershire force area.
The Race Equality Centre and partners hosted The Colours of Injustice Conference the aim was to bring stakeholders and impacted communities together to discuss the disproportionality in policing, drug law and enforcement.
The Conference looked at the role of the CPS. Contributions to the topic further included academics, local communities (young peoples voices), the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Office of Police & Crime Commissioner.
The event offered a chance for speakers and participants to discuss why only 40% of stop and searches result in outcomes and consider the wider impact of stop search in local communities. It was important to shed light on and present solutions to the concerns regarding stop search and disproportionality in policing in Leicester and Leicestershire and agree meaningful and time sensitive actions for all stakeholders to address them.
The conference was chaired by Dr. Kennetta Hammond-Perry and held virtually over three sessions.
There were plenty of opportunities for participants to engage in each stage of the conference.
Session 1 Interactive themed discussions
a. What issues arise for you from what the speakers’ presentations have told you about the Colour of Injustice in Leicester?
b. Where do you disagree with the speakers’ analysis /suggestions?
c. What gaps are there in your knowledge of the subjects raised today and how can those gaps, if any, be filled?
Session 2 Suggestions for actions, further considerations, and continued engagement.
a. What needs to happen to stop your son/daughter being stopped and search.
b. What needs to happen if you, your son/daughter is stopped and searched.
c. What does the CPS. Police, IOPC, PCC need to do to stop disproportionality and delivery equitable services.
d. What is required (resources) within our families and communities to keep challenging this disproportionality.
The event was successful with over 60 people attending and having meaningful and difficult conversations on how to move forward. A report will be produced to highlight key findings during the conference including potential solutions presented on the day.
Thank you to all the partners and all the attendees. We hope to hold this conference annually as a means of accountability and change and hope to see you part of the discussions in the future.
Videos presented before conference and speaker biographies:
Real accounts of stop and search
Mike Shiner, Associate Professor, London School of Economics.
Dr. Michael Shiner
Associate Professor, Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics
Expertise Details: criminology; psychoanalysis; drug use and drug policy; policing; research methods; stop and search; suicide; ‘race’ and inequality.
Michael’s work has been published in a range of journals including The British Journal of Criminology, Social Science and Medicine, the Journal of Social Policy, the International Journal of Drug Policy, and the British Journal of Sociology of Education.
He has published several books, including Stop and Search: The Anatomy of a Police Power (co-edited with Rebekah Delsol, Palgrave MacMillan, 2015), Drug Use and Social Change: The Distortion of History (Palgrave MacMillan, 2009).
Michael co-authored: The Numbers in Black and White: Ethnic Disparities in the Policing and Prosecution of Drug Offences in England and Wales (with Niamh Eastwood and Daniel Bear, Release, 2013).
He has also written for The Guardian newspaper and blog sites such as British Politics and Policy, Shifting Grounds and Left Foot Forward.
Michael is a consultant to the Fair and Effective Policing Project at the Open Society Justice Initiative; sits on the National Stop and Search Advisory Group; and is a Trustee of StopWatch.
Recent work: The Colour of injustice: 'Race', drugs and law enforcement in England and Wales. Read here.
Recent media coverage: Is racial bias in police stop and search getting worse? Channel 4 news report
Sally-Ann Flemmings-Danquah, District Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service.
Sally-Ann Flemmings-Danquah qualified as a Solicitor in 2007 as a Criminal Defence practitioner. Upon her qualification, in line with her Masters in Child Law and Policy, she quickly carved out her niche, defending youth offenders; making regular appearances before the Youth Court as well as attending Police Stations to provide legal assistance to suspects including youth suspects.
Upon joining the East Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, Mrs Flemmings-Danquah was privileged to be able work with the youth specialists within the region to review, prepare and present Youth Court cases. In addition to this, Mrs Flemmings-Danquah, prior to her recent move to managing a Crown Court team, Mrs Flemmings-Danquah managed the Youth Court team.
In addition to this, when not at work Mrs Flemmings-Danquah, works as a youth mentor and sponsor within her local church, taking particular interest in assisting young people in developing life skills and educational activities.
Mrs Flemmings-Danquah’s long standing commitment to youth justice remains at the core of both her personal and professional endeavours.
Julia Debenham, Assistant Chief Constable, Leicestershire Police.
Julia Debenham joined Leicestershire Police in 1993 and has remained with the force ever since. Throughout her service, Julia has held a variety of roles throughout both ranks – both uniformed and non-uniformed. More recently, Julia worked in collaborative roles within the East Midlands region where she held Chief Officer responsibility for East Midlands Criminal Justice Service and East Midlands Specialist Operations Service.
Julia said “I feel immensely proud to be an Assistant Chief Constable in Leicestershire Police. I work with brilliant and dedicated people who achieve so much for the public. Often their efforts are not widely visible but their impact on people, often at a time of crisis, is hugely positive. It is a real privilege to live and work in our diverse communities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.”
Julia is married and is the mother of two young children.
Lord Bach, Police and Crime Commissioner, Leicestershire Police. Lord Willy Bach has lived in the City and County for over 40 years.
Following a high profile career in both criminal justice and public service, he brings valuable experience to his new role as PCC for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was a criminal law barrister, prosecuting and defending at the Leicester Bar for 25 years. He was an elected Councillor on both Leicester City and Harborough District Councils.
During this time he served a term as Mayor of Lutterworth. Created a Labour life peer in 1998, he has served as a Justice Minister and more recently as Shadow Attorney General and Shadow Legal Aid Minister, a role he resigned upon his election as PCC.
Other Parliamentary appointments include Parliamentary Under-Secretary at DEFRA and the Ministry of Defence, where he was involved in the Joint Strike Fighter project with the US Department of Defense, resulting in Lockheed Martin’s contract award.
A Leicester City football season ticket holder for over 40 years, he also enjoys cricket, music and hard boiled American crime fiction. Married, with three children, he lives near Lutterworth.
Derrick Campbell, Regional Director for Midlands Region, Independent Office of Police Conduct.
Dr Derrick Campbell PH.D, MBA, DMS, QTLS, FCMI, FHEA
Derrick is the Regional Director for Midlands Region of the Independent Office of Police Conduct responsible for overseeing 14 police forces.
He was the former chairman of the National Independent Advisory Group (NIAG) and UK Tsar on gun and knife crime, where he advised the government and security services on the national violent crime agenda; and is the first person in United Kingdom to hold this role.
As this taskforce was the first of its kind it has enabled Derrick to become influential in the UK especially in the field of Britain’s violent crime, anti-social behaviour, gang violence, gun & knife crime as well as Youth Affairs. In 2005 Derrick was voted as one of the 20 most influential men in the West Midlands.
In March 2008 Derrick was appointed by Home Office to become a member on the National DNA Database Ethics Group and was one of 11 experts who advise the government around the use of the database and the associated ethics.
He is the former Chief Executive of Rights & Equality Sandwell and prior to that He was the Chief Executive of the Chamber of Commerce. He is a Graduate in Electrical / Electronic Engineering and a visiting professor a number of Universities. Derrick is Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Managers (FCMI), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) a member of the Institute for Learning (MIFL). He has an earned Ph.D in Philosophy and History and an MBA. He is a public speaker and a former BBC radio co-presenter.
As an author Derrick has a number of books including titles such as:
• ‘Am I Apostolic?’ - (The Teachings of the British Apostolic)
• ‘The ‘Urban Initiative’- (Keeping our Town Centres Alive Through Regeneration)
• ‘The Inerrant Word’ – (How True is the Bible)
• ‘Am I Still a Slave?’ - (The Effects of Colonialism on Black Leaders in Britain’)
He has also contributed to International Journals dealing with subjects such as ‘Human Trafficking’, ‘The Changing Face of Britain due to Economic Migration’, ‘Rainbow Britain’, the challenge of immigration; to name a few.
Through his various roles Derrick has developed a wealth of experience covering the public, private and voluntary sectors such as:
• Founder and Chairman Birmingham Reducing Gang Violence (BRGV3)
• Advisor Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
• Former advisor to the British Army (during the Iraq War)
• The Chairman of the ‘Wise-Up’ project which he started in 1997, that works with school and vulnerable children empowering their success.