‘Alarming lack of trust’ in police among young black people, research finds

The survey exploring racial disparities in children’s experiences and views of policing and stop and search found only 36 per cent of black children and teenagers trust the police compared with 75 per cent of young white people.

The report from criminal justice consultancy Crest Advisory found that the trust figure for black people aged ten to 18 was the lowest of any ethnic group and was even lower among black Caribbean children.

Less than a quarter of black children and teenagers questioned for the poll said they trusted police to stop and search them fairly and fewer than one in five trusted officers to treat people from different backgrounds fairly.

The survey also suggests young black people are less likely to call the police if they are in danger than those who are white or black adults.

However, despite this, overall young people trusted police officers more than adults.

The research, titled ‘Forgotten Voices’, the second of three Crest reports, funded by the Hadley Trust, considers children’s experiences and views of policing and stop and search.

The first study, published in November, focused on adults. It found that despite support for the principle of stop-and-search, there were deep misgivings among black adults about the way the powers were used and how they were treated by police, in general.

In focus groups, conducted alongside the latest survey, black and mixed ethnicity children said they wanted to trust the police but felt unable to do so because of negative interactions they or people close to them had experienced or viewed online.

One young teenager said: “There’s almost like an arrogance in the police. And it’s almost like, we’re going to, we don’t have to talk to you properly, we’re going to talk at you, not to you. Sometimes it’s almost like a wind-up as well.”

Another child told researchers: “People who live in the nice houses, they think the police are there to protect them. People who live in the ghetto are mostly thinking that the police are out to get them. They know that they’re gonna get stopped.”

Key findings of the survey of children and teenagers, aged ten to 18, include:

• 73 per cent of respondents said they trust the police, compared with 62 per cent in the adult survey;
• 36 per cent of young black people trust the police; 75 per cent for those who are white;
• Only 28 per cent of black Caribbean children and teenagers said they trust the police;
• Trust in the police was lower among older children and girls, with black girls the lowest of all among those surveyed, at 33 per cent; and
• 58 per cent of all children and teenagers who had been stopped and searched said they trust the police, compared with 74 per cent of those who had not been stopped.

The research found young people in the East Midlands and Greater London had the lowest levels of trust in the police

Crest Advisory chief executive Harvey Redgrave said: “Our findings suggest that children and teenagers have conflicting views on the police and the trust they can place in them.

“The most alarming results from our survey are that levels of trust are much lower among young black people, particularly those from black Caribbean backgrounds.

“Contentious examples of racism and discrimination within policing, alongside the use of police powers, such as stop-and-search, were cited by children across the focus groups as reasons why their trust in the police had declined. These children now felt unsure as to whether they could truly trust the police.”

The survey also revealed that:

• 40 per cent of black children and teenagers, and 25 per cent from black Caribbean backgrounds, said they felt safe around the police compared with 75 per cent of those who are white;
• 66 per cent of young black people said they would call police if in danger compared with 87 per cent of white children and teenagers;
• 64 per cent of white children and teenagers said knowing police are stopping and searching people in their area made them feel safer – but only 36 per cent of young black people said it did; and
• 25 per cent of black children and teenagers trust police to use stop and search fairly, compared with 51 per cent of those who are white.

Mr Redgrave said: “Most children and teenagers said they would feel safer knowing police were stopping and searching people in their area, but this varied substantially by ethnicity.

“Most black children said what they knew about stop-and-search had made them trust the police less.

“It is also clear that many children find the experience traumatic and further analysis is needed in this area to understand the long-term effects of this.”

Responding to the report, the National Police Chiefs’ Council said it was committed to “improving policing for black people”.

Deputy Chief Constable Tyron Joyce, director for the Police Race Action Plan, said: “Policing is built on consent but if young black people don’t trust police then we cannot be truly legitimate.

“Building trust with black people will mean better policing for all and ensuring young black people have positive interactions with the police is crucial to this.

“Chief constables in England and Wales have signed up to the Police Race Action Plan, as part of a commitment to improving policing for black people and becoming an anti-racist police service.

“We are taking a proactive approach and mindset where we look at how policing works and challenge the policies, procedures, operations and cultures in policing where racism, bias and discrimination still exist.

“Stop and search is a valuable policing tool, but we know that its use can have a significant impact on individuals and communities, and particularly on young people.

“It is our responsibility as leaders to ensure that we balance protecting communities and tackling crime with ensuring we build trust and confidence.

“We haven’t always got that balance right and are determined to demonstrate we are legitimate.”

Crest said its final report, to be published this month, will draw on the research among adults and children and contain detailed recommendations.