Does the UK Have A Systemic Problem With Police Brutality and Racism Like the USA?

The murder of George Floyd on March 25 at the hands of Minneapolis police officers has outraged the world, and rightly so. After all, here was a man who was restrained and posed no threat to the police officers but nonetheless had his life squeezed out of him in front of our very eyes despite pleas from onlookers.

Protests and riots have since erupted across the United States and have quickly spread around the world. The UK has now found itself on the wrong side of protesters with Black Lives Matter demonstrations taking place up and down the country over the last few days. While they all start off by condemning the murder of George Floyd, the attention and anger have quickly turned to the British police who are finding themselves verbally and physically assaulted despite playing no role whatsoever in the events that took place in Minneapolis last week.

The British police force is heralded around the world for its composure and restraint in the face of danger. Police officers patrol the streets and attend crimes unarmed, focusing on de-escalation and restoring calm than demanding total respect and submission. That's not to say they are perfect, on occasion people have died in police custody but just like the scenes we are seeing the USA, the outpouring of outrage only seems to take place when it is a person of colour on the receiving end.

However, anyone tuning into the London protest yesterday or the countless others in cities such as Cardiff and Liverpool would be forgiven for thinking that the British police force had a systemic issue of police brutality. Protesters screamed at officers, calling them racists, holding up placards denouncing the police and vandalising central London. This is further highlighted by the violence and riots that took place throughout the demonstration, resulting in officers being punched in the face and having a number of missiles hurled at them.

This misconception that British police suffer from systemic racism is wrong. Just as is the case in the USA, more white people die in police custody than any other racial group in the UK. In fact, over the past ten years, only 163 people have died at the hands of the British police, in a country that has a population exceeding 65 million and one of the highest population density per km in the world. Of those 163, 140 were white, 13 were black and 10 were from other minority ethnic group.

The percentage of deaths in custody for white people is in-line with their total percentage of the population. 85% of deaths in police custody involved white people who subsequently make up 86% of the population.

While it is true that the percentage of black people who have died in police custody is greater than their percentage of the total population, it is entirely within a normal range. 8% of deaths in custody involve black people who make up 3% of the population. It should also be noted that according to
recent statistics from the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, 25% of the prison population is black, with this jumping to 50% in young offenders institutes. Rather than being put down to the British police force being racist as many on the left have tried to do, there are a variety of socio-economic factors that result in black people disproportionately being involved in crime and these issues do need to be tackled.

Despite making up 8% of the population, Asian deaths only account for 3% of the population while mixed-race deaths stand at 2% while also making up just 2% of the population.

From these figures, we can see that the UK does not have a systemic issue of police brutality when it comes to ethnic minorities in the country. In fact, BAME deaths account for 15% of all deaths in police custody and make up 14% of the UK's population. These figures are exactly what you would expect in a country where racial inequality and prejudice continues to fall. It would seem that everyone in the UK is just as likely to experience death in police custody as anyone else, regardless of race.

Of course, there are still problems with racism in the UK, just like there is anywhere else in the world. But the death of George Floyd has been portrayed in the media as one that was motivated by racism. In short, the mainstream media and leftists around the world have suggested that had Floyd not been black, he would still be alive today. Unfortunately, the murder of George Floyd at the hands of American police officers is not an issue that only affects the black community. Countless white people have also been murdered at the hands of police officers, many of whom have faced little to no punishment.

The death of George Floyd has sadly been corrupted by the mainstream media who are intent on stoking racial tensions as well as using it as an opportunity to attack US President Donald Trump. A number of scrupulous actors are also planting the seeds of division, undermining the genuine outrage and calls for change in America by instigating violence and rioting.

It is not just black people who are being aimlessly killed by police officers, both in the UK and in the USA. While we should strive to end injustice and preventative deaths where possible, we also have to come to terms with the fact that so long as police officers are human and there are violent criminals, there will always be a loss of life on occasion. Police forces in America must undergo change to prevent the unnecessary deaths of hundreds every year however blaming the problems on racism greatly simplifies the problem and only does more harm in bringing about meaningful change than it does good.

We can all agree that George Floyd's death was abhorrent and he should still be alive today. But the violence and riots using his name should equally be condemned.