November 2023: Rowley's big risk pays off?

In the clash between the Met commissioner and the PM over the policing of Armistice Day protests, Rowley's decision to stand his ground seems to have paid off

Dear StopWatchers,

This month, it’s been heartening to see the police focus on fulfilling their duty to protect the vulnerable and fight crime. It’s reassuring to know that they’ve really been dealing with the most important issues, like destroying homeless people’s tents (BBC, 12 Nov), reporting domestic abuse victims to immigration officials (The Guardian, 9 Nov), Tasering 10-year-olds (The Standard, 27 Nov), and crowdfunding for their racist (now ex-) colleagues (The Guardian, 30 Oct). No wonder new home secretary James Cleverly has promised to ‘praise the police in public’, given all the excellent work they’ve been doing (BBC, 16 Nov)!

In all seriousness, it has indeed been an eventful month in policing, from the sacking of Suella to the standoff between Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and prime minister Rishi Sunak over the policing of protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza (more on that later in this newsletter).

Another police force – this time West Midlands Police – was placed in special measures by the police inspectorate HMIC, joining the ranks of the Met, Staffordshire, Wiltshire, and Devon and Cornwall (The Guardian, 24 Nov). The force refused to take HMIC’s decision without a fight, with chief constable Craig Guildford publicly stating: ‘I completely disagree with [HMIC’s] decision-making’. In a tweet directed at the home secretary, the Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands wrote ‘I will not be taking lectures from a chaotic govt failing people of the West Mids for 13 years […] this is on your government – own it!’ (Twitter, 24 Nov).

Then, little more than a week after her sacking as home secretary, it emerged that on at least two occasions Suella Braverman met with controversial policing pressure group Fair Cop, known for its promotion of nationalist ideology, its criticism of diversity and inclusion programmes, its anti-trans rhetoric, and its branding of supporters of Palestine as ‘terrorist sympathisers’ (Byline Times, 20 Nov).  The president of the National Black Police Association, Andy George, told Byline Times he was calling on Braverman’s successor to cut ties with the organisation.

This month at StopWatch:

• We commented on several newsworthy issues, including failings in the police complaints system in the Observer (19 Nov), and Serious Violence Reduction Orders in openDemocracy (13 Nov)

• We were excited to see the launch of new campaign Art Not Evidence, calling for law reform to keep creative expression out of court (The Guardian, 22 Nov) – check out their website here

• Our legal advocacy officer Rebecca Dooley attended two events in London aimed at reviewing various police ‘action plans’ (spoiler alert: there’s not much by way of ‘action’ actually going on).

Topics in this newsletter include:

• The Met vs the government (and the government vs the government)

• A selection of recent police misconduct cases

• Further developments in the Chris Kaba case

Please enjoy our roundup of stories below.

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Braverman vs Rishi vs Rowley?

On 13 November, Suella Braverman was sacked as home secretary (again). The last straw for prime minister Rishi Sunak came after Braverman defied him over an article she wrote in the Times, in which she accused the Met of bias in their policing of protests (BBC, 13 Nov), claiming the police were ‘playing favourites’ by, in her view, letting ‘politically-connected minority groups’ off the hook while being ‘tough’ on groups such as football fans and anti-lockdown protestors (The Times, 8 Nov).

In the run-up to a major Armistice Day demonstration calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Braverman ‘chose the populist road’, knowingly using inflammatory language and not-so-subtle dog whistles to ‘hint darkly at the worst-case scenarios that might take shape’ (The Observer, 11 Nov), thereby emboldening far-right counter-protestors who heard the home secretary’s words as a call to ‘defend’ the cenotaph – and their country – despite the fact that the route of the pro-Palestine march did not pass near the monument on the day of the protest (The Observer, 11 Nov).

But the disagreement between Sunak and his home secretary was not the only high-profile conflict of opinion over the march. While Sunak and Braverman insisted that the Armistice Day demonstration should be banned, Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley ‘risked it all’ by refusing to compromise what is seen as the ‘sacred principle’ of operational independence, saying that the available intelligence about the scale of potential trouble did not reach the legal threshold needed for a ban under the Public Order Act (The Guardian, 11 Nov). Sunak summoned Rowley to No. 10, demanding an explanation. Following the meeting, Sunak said in a statement that Rowley had ‘committed to keep the Met Police’s posture under constant review  based on the latest intelligence about the nature of the protests’ (UK Gov, 8 Nov), and tensions appeared to dissipate somewhat – until, that is, Braverman’s unauthorised article was published later that evening.

Rowley’s decision was largely supported by other senior police figures. The day before the march, Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) told reporters that police must remain independent of politics, and suggested that policing could be undermined if decision-making were to be influenced by politics and public debate (BBC, 10 Nov). Stephens said: ‘in policing, we need the space to make difficult operational decisions in an independent manner’.

In the end, the Armistice Day demonstration was a relatively peaceful, family-friendly affair, as hundreds of thousands of protestors made their way down to the American embassy from Hyde Park. At the cenotaph, however, violence broke out between counter-protestors and the police. Senior police figures cited Braverman’s claims of police bias in the days leading up to the march as a significant factor in the ‘unprecedented’ attacks on police officers by counter-protestors around the cenotaph and elsewhere in central London. The Met’s assistant commissioner said in a statement: ‘The extreme violence from the right-wing protesters towards the police today was extraordinary and deeply concerning’.

In reality, we know that the police can never be truly independent of politics or political influence – after all, policing is an inherently conservative mission tied to issues of power and control, focused on reproducing an unequal social order. And beyond policing’s small-c conservatism, it’s well known that the British police and the Conservative Party have historically maintained a particularly close relationship. In light of this, it’s especially interesting to witness, as we have done this month, a situation in which a Conservative government has faced pushback from the police themselves after attempting too overtly and too directly to influence police decision-making.

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An update from our legal advocacy officer on police ‘action plans’…

November was a busy month for reviewing action plans to tackle the problematic policing of Black communities. We attended two events where officers congratulated themselves for achieving very little.

At the beginning of the month, we attended the ISOB Annual Report Feedback Event. As a reminder, the ISOB is the Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board for the Police Race Action Plan, which was announced in June 2020 and published in May 2022. This event was held to provide public feedback on the work done between May 2022 and May 2023 in getting the plan implemented, with many officers involved in the plan presenting on work done so far. Disappointingly (but unsurprisingly) not much progress has been made. A major concern highlighted by the Board was the lack of resource for the Plan, with officers being seconded to work on the Plan and high turnover of those who had been involved. There has also been a failure to meaningfully engage with the communities most affected by racist policing. Ultimately, these issues are to be expected given that the Plan is entirely voluntary and there is no requirement for any force to implement any part of it. Members of the public attending the meeting expressed their frustration at this, and asked why people should believe that this Plan means anything when the vast majority of police forces still refuse to acknowledge institutional racism. We will be sure to keep an eye on the progress of the Plan.

We also attended the MOPAC Public Review Meeting on Children in Police Custody. The event was focused on how the Met safeguards vulnerable detainees in police custody and to get public feedback on the parts of the Mayor’s Action Plan which deal with this. There were numerous statements made by those in attendance that the Met is seeking to take a more ‘child-first’ approach to policing and for detention in custody to be a last resort. But we know from the cases of Child Q and Child X (and several others) that this is simply not true. There was also a statement from assistant commissioner Matt Twist that ‘you can’t change culture overnight’, which confirms one thing: that the Met clearly have a very interesting concept of time…

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Deaths from police contact, cases old and new

Giedrius Vasiljevas, 40

Met Police officers shot dead a man threatening to take his own life in Dagenham on Thursday 23 November. Firearms officers were called to the scene at around 8pm, and shots fired just before 9pm. Giedrius’s daughter described the father of four as ‘a caring soul whose infectious enthusiasm brightened every room’. (Standard, 25 Nov)

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Other news

Black Met officers urged by colleagues to donate to fund for sacked PCs: Black Metropolitan police officers have complained of being put under pressure by white colleagues to donate to a fund that has raised £130,000 for two officers sacked for lying over the stop and search of a black British athlete and her Olympian partner. (The Guardian, 30 Oct)

Chris Kaba shooter to be named: The Metropolitan Police officer charged with the murder of Chris Kaba, known as NX121, has been denied anonymity for the continued criminal proceedings, at a hearing at the Old Bailey on 30 October. (INQUEST, 30 Oct)

Hertfordshire Police officers ‘failed’ woman who was stabbed by ex-partner: Two police officers failed to properly deal with a 999 call from a woman whose partner tried to kill her a month later, a misconduct hearing heard. PC Dominic Van Der Linden and former PC Mark Coleman of Hertfordshire Police deny gross misconduct. They allegedly ‘failed to take positive action’ after the man breached a non-molestation order in August 2021. (BBC, 30 Oct)

Armed Met police officer ‘put public and MPs at risk’ by taking cocaine: Government ministers were ‘put at risk’ by an armed police officer who came to work protecting Parliament after taking cocaine, a misconduct hearing has found. Former PC Matthew Thomas, who served as part of the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection service (PaDP), tested positive for the illegal drug while at work. (The Standard, 31 Oct)

Greater Manchester PC banned from policing over crash: PC Sarah De Meulemeester seriously hurt a boy while driving at twice the speed limit in response to a 999 call in 2020. She has now been banned from the profession. Khia Whitehead, 15, was struck by the vehicle driven by PC De Meulemeester. The trial heard PC De Meulemeester was only a basic level police driver, meaning she was not qualified to use police manoeuvres or drive above the speed limit. Khia was left with significant injuries and now requires around-the-clock care. (BBC, 2 Nov)

Cheshire Police employee who tipped off criminal friend is jailed: ‘Corrupt’ Natalie Mottram admitted misconduct in public office, perverting the course of justice and unauthorised access to computer material. (BBC, 3 Nov)

Former Met officer guilty of sending racist messages: Michael Chadwell, who retired from the Met in 2015, was convicted of sending a grossly offensive racist message in a WhatsApp group chat. (Independent, 6 Nov)

Swindon police officer fired for sexualised comments: A two-day hearing heard how PC Kyle Carter, based in Swindon in Wiltshire, behaved ‘inappropriately’ towards female colleagues on several occasions in March this year. (BBC, 7 Nov)

Gwent Police officer sacked for kneeing detained man in chest: PC Callum Powell breached of professional standards in use of force on Fathal Moshen in 2021. (BBC, 9 Nov)

Data shows UK police report domestic abuse victims to immigration: Domestic abuse victims are being reported to immigration officials when they turn to the police for help, according to data published by an independent watchdog. All 43 forces in England and Wales and the British Transport Police have referred victims and survivors to immigration enforcement over the last three years. (The Guardian, 9 Nov)

New stop and search scheme for England and Wales will not cut violence, thinktank suggests: Research by Runnymede Trust on Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) says that allowing police to stop and search people without grounds for suspicion targets people of colour. (The Guardian, 13 Nov)

Senior officer in Stephen Lawrence case was ‘corrupt’, Met document claims: Solicitor for Doreen Lawrence says ex-police commander Ray Adams should face investigation into alleged perjury. (The Guardian, 14 Nov)

Metropolitan Police officer sacked for sexual activity with underage runaway child: The officer ‘exploited and abused’ the child after making contact with them on social media and arranging to meet them on 16 August 2019, a misconduct hearing was told. (Sky News, 16 Nov)

Parents of Gracie Spinks say police response to stalking case was ‘diabolical’: Michael Sellers, who killed the 23-year-old, was categorised as ‘low risk’ by Derbyshire force. (The Guardian, 16 Nov)

Police county lines strategy ‘cruelly targets’ Black youth in UK: The Home Office’s approach to tackling county lines drug operations is based on unproven assumptions and ‘racialised tropes’ that criminalise Black boys and young men, according to new research. (The Guardian, 19 Nov)

Calls for London mayor to complete unfinished stop and search study: The study, which intended to examine how officers used stop and search, was promised by the London mayor more than three years ago. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed it had not yet progressed. (BBC, 21 Nov)

Former South Yorkshire Police officer found guilty of gross misconduct: A hearing found that PC Rowan Horrocks had committed gross misconduct by assaulting and injuring a woman during sex. (BBC, 23 Nov)

Police inspector who said Sarah Everard protestor ‘should be thrown in the sea’ sacked: Inspector Philip Grimwade sent derogatory, discriminatory and abusive comments on Twitter over six year period, misconduct hearing told. (Independent, 24 Nov)

Serving Met police officer charged with attempted rape: Sergeant Elliot Butler has also been charged with causing a male to engage in penetrative sexual activity. (The Guardian, 26 Nov)

More Greater Manchester Police custody abuse claims investigated: Twelve more people have come forward to speak to an inquiry into allegations women were mistreated in police custody. Dame Vera Baird, the former victims’ commissioner, is investigating after Greater Manchester Police officers were accused of sexual abuse and unjustifiable strip-searches. (BBC, 25 Nov)

Police officer sacked after ‘violently’ scratching a woman’s throat and biting her lip in a nightclub: PC Liam Richards was found to have committed gross misconduct over the non-consensual kiss. (BBC, 25 Nov)

Armed policing review is ‘wrong move’, says Chris Kaba family lawyer: The lawyer representing Chris Kaba’s family has criticised a Home Office review into armed policing, claiming it will give officers ‘carte blanche to behave as they like’. (The Standard, 26 Nov)

Kent Police detective Jamie Weale spared sack over racist remarks about foreign gangs and Albanians: A Kent police detective found to have described foreign gangs as ‘black b*****ds’ has avoided the sack. Former Special Branch officer Jamie Weale – who once managed a hate crime team – also told a colleague he ‘had never met an honest Albanian’. But despite being found guilty of gross misconduct, the 49-year-old detective sergeant has been spared dismissal and instead demoted to the rank of constable. (KentOnline, 27 Nov)

Greater Manchester Police ‘remains institutionally racist’: One of England's biggest police forces remains ‘institutionally racist’ and must do more to tackle the problem, a leading equality advisor has said. Elizabeth Cameron, who worked with GMP on its ‘2021 Achieving Race Equality Report’ in 2021, said its systems were ‘perpetuating racial discrimination’. (BBC, 28 Nov)

High court challenge to ‘constitutionally unprecedented’ UK anti-protest law: Liberty brings civil case to quash ‘back-door’ regulations which make it easier for police to stop protests. (The Guardian, 29 Nov)

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Section 60 watch*

London

Hounslow (27 Nov)

Central (11 Nov; 28 Nov)

Hertfordshire

Abbots Langley (3 Nov)

Lancashire

Preston (31 Oct)

West Midlands

Central Birmingham (1 Nov)

North Wales

Leeswood (23 Nov)

* This is not a comprehensive list

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Terrible tech: UK police plan national roll-out of facial-recognition phone app

This month’s Terrible Tech story concerns plans for the police to further expand their use of facial recognition technology.

According to reporting from Computer Weekly:

UK police chiefs have announced plans to equip officers with a mobile-based facial-recognition tool that will enable them to cross reference photos of suspects against a database of millions of custody images from their phones’ (24 Nov).

The technology, which is known as ‘operator-initiated facial recognition’ (OIFR), ‘uses software supplier NEC’s NeoFace facial-recognition algorithm’. The OIFR app ‘works by automatically comparing the photos taken by officers with a predetermined “watchlist” of suspects, which is primarily made up of custody images’.

Three police forces (Gwent, South Wales, and Cheshire) are currently participating in a scheme piloting the tool.

According to the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), OIFR, which is linked to the Police National Database (PND), will be rolled out nationwide next year. There are also further plans to increase the police’s use of retrospective facial-recognition (RFR) software by 100% by May 2024.

As Computer Weekly point out: ‘Neither the NPCC announcement or the SWP OIFR trial breakdown mentioned long-running issues with the legality of how certain biometric information is being stored by UK police, specifically the custody images that police use to compile their facial-recognition watchlists’.

Big Brother Watch, an organisation campaigning on issues of surveillance and privacy, has urged anyone subject to OIFR technology to get in touch. ‘The use of this technology in policing is in its early stages, and information about how it is being used is critical for campaigners’ (Big Brother Watch, Aug 2).

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StopWatch.