Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Minority ethnic groups paid more Covid fines than white Britons due to Police racial bias: Report

An officer interviewed for research said the Asian community was more likely to be obstructive

Minority ethnic groups paid more Covid fines than white Britons due to Police racial bias: Report

Institutional bias in policing contributed to minority ethnic groups receiving disproportionately more fines than white Britons during pandemic restrictions, a study revealed.

The research cited by the Guardian said the police approach “legitimised a differential approach to enforcement that reflected pre-existing biases in policing”.

The biases included the beliefs about which types of people were more likely to break the rules and required punishment to secure their compliance with the restrictions.

According to the study, based on interviews with police officers who spoke confidentially to academics from Liverpool University, some officers there was a belief that certain minority ethnic groups were more likely to defy the rules. But there was nothing to substantiate the generalisation of the behaviour.

Minority ethnic people in England and Wales were almost twice as likely to be fined than white people, national figures showed.

An officer interviewed for the research said he believed the Asian community was more likely to be obstructive and less likely to take the advice.

Liz Turner, a co-author of the report, said, “what we found was suggestive of the likelihood that institutional racism was at work.”

“There was a reversion to a business-as-usual mindset, a mindset that the problematic groups more likely to break Covid rules were those groups already viewed with suspicion,” Turner told the Guardian.

“There is no evidence of ethnic minority groups more visibly flouting the rules than other groups”, she told the newspaper, adding that, there was unwitting discrimination built into the processes of the organisation.

“None of the officers said anything they felt was outlandish in terms of bias,” Turner said.

Officers also revealed that the perception of people’s defiance of police authority formed a bigger basis for fines than the concern that breach of restrictions risked a faster spread of the pandemic.

“There was not a lot of focus on the risk from the disease. It was: ‘There are these people flouting the rules and not accepting our authority to make them follow the rules,’” Turner said.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council did not comment on the findings.

More For You

Man found guilty of rape and murder of Irish backpacker in India

McLaughlin, 28, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field in Goa in March 2017. (Photo credit: Twitter)

Man found guilty of rape and murder of Irish backpacker in India

A COURT in India has found Vikat Bhagat guilty of the rape and murder of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin.

McLaughlin, 28, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field in Goa in March 2017.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alderman Alastair King

King, who serves as the global ambassador for the City of London, will be in Mumbai to discuss trade and investment under his mayoral theme, 'Growth Unleashed.'

Lord Mayor of London to visit India for trade talks

THE LORD MAYOR of London, Alderman Alastair King, is set to visit India for a week starting Saturday, aiming to promote free trade and capital flows between the two countries.

King, who serves as the global ambassador for the City of London, will be in Mumbai to discuss trade and investment under his mayoral theme, “Growth Unleashed.”

Keep ReadingShow less
trump-modi-washington-getty

The meeting came hours after Trump criticised India’s business environment and announced plans for reciprocal tariffs on countries that impose duties on US imports. (Photo: Getty Images)

Modi and Trump agree to resolve trade disputes, discuss tariff concerns

INDIA and the US have agreed to begin negotiations aimed at resolving trade and tariff disputes, following talks between Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump in Washington.

India has committed to increasing purchases of US oil, gas, and defence equipment, while both sides pledged to address trade barriers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pablo-Escobar-merchandise-Getty

Escobar, killed by security forces in 1993, remains a figure of global interest, with his image appearing on souvenirs like T-shirts, mugs, and keychains. (Photo: Getty Images)

Colombia considers ban on Pablo Escobar merchandise

COLOMBIA’s Congress is considering a bill that would ban the sale of merchandise featuring drug lord Pablo Escobar and other convicted criminals.

The proposed law aims to curb the glorification of Escobar, who was responsible for thousands of deaths during his time leading the Medellín cartel, reported BBC.

Keep ReadingShow less
Assisted dying bill: Judge approval scrapped for expert panel safeguard

Polls show most Britons back assisted dying, with supporters calling for the law to reflect public opinion.

Assisted dying bill: Judge approval scrapped for expert panel safeguard

Eastern Eye

THE proposed new assisted dying law for terminally ill people will be amended to remove the requirement that a high court judge sign off on each case, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said on Tuesday (11).

Opponents of assisted dying said the change would weaken the safeguards around protecting vulnerable people from being coerced or pressured into taking their own lives.

Keep ReadingShow less