A new plan launched by South Yorkshire Police to improve policing for black communities has been met with a lukewarm response.
Following the force’s annual Black History Month event on October 8, South Yorkshire Police published their local Race Action Plan, aimed to improve trust and confidence within the black community.
The new initiative will run until 2026, with six-core themes including: building an anti-racist workforce, increasing representation, proportionately using police powers, improving relationships and confidence, supporting black colleges and achieving justice.
The scheme is part of a wider national plan that started in 2022.
Tracey Jarrett, who works at Adira, a survivor-led mental health and well-being organisation supporting black people with mental health issues, said: “I’m still on the fence. We always say that you need to see the actions rather than just say say.
“Equality for the black community is something that we’ve been fighting for years and years, and we’re yet to see it. Them putting policy in place is all well and good but now it’s time to stand up and recognise that they’ve got to change, so we will have to see how this plays out overtime.”
The plan attempts to gain the black communities trust through fair, transparent and accountable policing.
Mrs Jarrett, however, said that she and loved ones have had negative experiences with the police in recent years, and she wants to see these plans put into action, rather than simply being “words on paper”.
She said: “A couple of years ago we were celebrating my dad’s 70th birthday, and my nephews went round the corner to smoke a cigarette. The neighbours saw three or four black men who they thought were stalking and called the police.
“The police didn’t come and ask any questions. Instead, they turned up with vans and dogs and cornered off the street. It was an attack. Us against them, and there was drama all because my nephews didn’t want to smoke in the house out of respect for their grandad.”
Timi Ogun, a member of the BAME society at the University of Sheffield, also recalls negative experiences with the police at home in Manchester, which he believes is due to his race.
The 19-year-old student said: “I got interrogated by the police when I was in year five. The school called the police in year five to interrogate me because I made a joke about someone’s mum.
“They were threatening to take me to the station if I didn’t tell them what the joke was. Things have improved, but there’s still work to be done because no nine-year-old should be put through that.”
Mr Ogun however does believe that overall the police’s treatment of black people has improved in the last ten years, and thinks that the new local plans could boost it further.
He said: “It’s very good. It’s a very in-depth way of setting out how to tackle racism. It’s nice to see they have a plan in place, and it gives us all more confidence when interacting with the police.
“Policing has definitely improved since I was little. I was raised hearing stories about people like Mark Duggan. I think from then to now it’s improved a lot. The police do all they can to help us.”
Mark Duggan was a 29-year-old black British man who was shot dead by police in North London in 2011.
Mrs Jarrett said: “We need to see that our black people are not going to be targeting every time they’re walking down the road with their hands in their pocket. They can’t keep getting stopped and searched for no reason at all.
“I can’t say that I don’t have trust in the police. I do have trust in the police if I call them, but I do believe it’s a bit of a one-sided system. They are here to help and protect but we want to see that one-sided shift move to the middle.”
The initiative will try to deliver long term changes with training, culture, outcomes and behaviour, with updates on the progress made as part of the local plan being readily available for the public on the South Yorkshire Police website.
Deputy Chief Constable Sarah Poolman, local Race Action Plan Lead at South Yorkshire Police said: “As a force, we accept that racism, discrimination and bias exist within policing.
This plan publicly sets out the next steps we will take towards becoming an anti-racist, inclusive and informed organisation.”
However Ursula Myrie, the founder and CEO of Adira, argued that change has never come as a result of statements and plans but rather by “force and fire.”
The 51-year-old argued that in the past change has always come through violence, and it has taken tragedies such as George Floyd’s death and subsequent “burning of cities” for change to even be spoken about.
South Yorkshire police have accepted that black and black heritage communities will only engage with them if they truly believe it’s not just words on a page, but have reassured members of the community that it’s not, and that meaningful action will be taken.
You can read the South Yorkshire Police Race Action Plan here.