Black cyclists targeted

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
DaveGos
Posts: 275
Joined: 13 Nov 2009, 12:40pm

Black cyclists targeted

Post by DaveGos »

Police did not like their positioning at the traffic lights . Interesting read https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... nabis.html
Jdsk
Posts: 24636
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by Jdsk »

The actual IOPC ruling:
[url]https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/news/iopc-upholds-cyclist’s-stop-and-search-complaint-against-metropolitan-police-officer[/url]
which found that the grounds for search were not reasonable, and used the College of Policing's existing guidance in support of that decision:
https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/stop-and-search/

Jonathan

(I don't know how to fix that nonshowing link.)
Syd
Posts: 1230
Joined: 23 Sep 2018, 2:27pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by Syd »

The police complaints commission did not uphold his assertion that he he ad been racially profiled.

The topic title is therefore misleading. Please change this.
cycle tramp
Posts: 3531
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by cycle tramp »

Syd wrote:The police complaints commission did not uphold his assertion that he he ad been racially profiled.


Yes, but then the police complaints commission would say that, wouldn't they?

When riding my bike I've placed myself to the front of the traffic queue, sometimes in which is a patrol vehicle, and I've never been searched..
(is this your bicycle sir?
Of course officer, do you think anyone else would even wish to be connected with this heap?
What's in this pannier bag sir?
Er... I wouldn't stick my hand in that one, somewhere in there is a banana which is over 2 months old....)

And as for the smell of cannabis thing, it's a public place, if you think anyone smells like cannabis and then five minutes later they don't smell like cannabis, then probably the smell belongs to someone else.
Motorhead: god was never on your sidehttps://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=m ... +your+side
gcogger
Posts: 113
Joined: 2 Jul 2020, 9:54am

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by gcogger »

How do we go from one cyclist being stopped one time by a small group of policemen to 'Black cyclists targeted'?

How about 'Cyclists in tight leggings targeted'? Or 'Cyclists named Emmanuel targeted'? Or 'Cyclists who refuse (even if justified) to comply with an instruction by policeman targeted'? Given that the watchdog report stated that "a review of a year of the officer's stop and search records found he had used the single reason of smelling cannabis to stop and search 'people of all ethnicities and genders'", I suspect the headline should really be 'Policeman finds excuse to stop and search people that annoy him'. That's just a guess, though (as is the title of this thread).
Mike Sales
Posts: 7882
Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by Mike Sales »

gcogger wrote: I suspect the headline should really be 'Policeman finds excuse to stop and search people that annoy him'. That's just a guess, though (as is the title of this thread).


It's about time this excuse was removed.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
cycle tramp
Posts: 3531
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by cycle tramp »

gcogger wrote:the watchdog report stated that "a review of a year of the officer's stop and search records found he had used the single reason of smelling cannabis to stop and search 'people of all ethnicities and genders'",


It would have been great if the report could have made a percentile breakdown of 'genders' and 'ethnicities' I mean it's a little vague that statement. And why is it only one year? Were there other years that the officer was just searching certain ethnicities and then perhaps a pattern was pointed out to him by senior officers?
Is my money still on police being institutionalized racist, homophobic and right wing...?
Motorhead: god was never on your sidehttps://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=m ... +your+side
Navara
Posts: 169
Joined: 29 Jun 2020, 11:38pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by Navara »

You lost me at the DM link.
gcogger
Posts: 113
Joined: 2 Jul 2020, 9:54am

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by gcogger »

Mike Sales wrote:It's about time this excuse was removed.


I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, didn't the ruling here do exactly that - i.e. remove the excuse? It seems to be what the DM are moaning about (which is usually a good sign that something positive has happened :D )
thelawnet
Posts: 2736
Joined: 27 Aug 2010, 12:56am

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by thelawnet »

Hmm.

Cyclist broke law.
Police told him off.
He gave lip despite being in the wrong.
Police gives him revenge search on spurious grounds.

Both in the wrong here. Can't bring myself to care.
Jdsk
Posts: 24636
Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by Jdsk »

It might not be quite as simple as that description of a single incident, even if it's accurate. Just possibly there's a pattern across incidents that need to be examined and understood.

I care, not least because the police act on my behalf.

Jonathan
User avatar
TrevA
Posts: 3551
Joined: 1 Jun 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Nottingham

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by TrevA »

If the cyclist in question has broken the law, then the Police should charge him for the specific offence. Searching him for drugs on the pretence that “he smells of cannabis” just reinforces the tired stereotype that all young black males are drug dealers and drives a wedge between the police and the black community.
Sherwood CC and Notts CTC.
A cart horse trapped in the body of a man.
http://www.jogler2009.blogspot.com
AlaninWales
Posts: 1626
Joined: 26 Oct 2012, 1:47pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by AlaninWales »

TrevA wrote:If the cyclist in question has broken the law, then the Police should charge him for the specific offence. Searching him for drugs on the pretence that “he smells of cannabis” just reinforces the tired stereotype that all young black males are drug dealers and drives a wedge between the police and the black community.

Indeed and the use of this stereotype is contradicted by the evidence: https://www.ukdpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Policy%20report%20-%20Drugs%20and%20diversity_%20ethnic%20minority%20groups%20(policy%20briefing).pdf
UKDPC wrote:In general, overall drug use is lower among minority ethnic groups than among the White population.
thelawnet
Posts: 2736
Joined: 27 Aug 2010, 12:56am

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by thelawnet »

AlaninWales wrote:
TrevA wrote:If the cyclist in question has broken the law, then the Police should charge him for the specific offence. Searching him for drugs on the pretence that “he smells of cannabis” just reinforces the tired stereotype that all young black males are drug dealers and drives a wedge between the police and the black community.

Indeed and the use of this stereotype is contradicted by the evidence: https://www.ukdpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Policy%20report%20-%20Drugs%20and%20diversity_%20ethnic%20minority%20groups%20(policy%20briefing).pdf
UKDPC wrote:In general, overall drug use is lower among minority ethnic groups than among the White population.


Not exactly

https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.ser ... lts/latest

Black people were more likely to use drugs, Asian people much less.
AlaninWales
Posts: 1626
Joined: 26 Oct 2012, 1:47pm

Re: Black cyclists targeted

Post by AlaninWales »

thelawnet wrote:
AlaninWales wrote:
TrevA wrote:If the cyclist in question has broken the law, then the Police should charge him for the specific offence. Searching him for drugs on the pretence that “he smells of cannabis” just reinforces the tired stereotype that all young black males are drug dealers and drives a wedge between the police and the black community.

Indeed and the use of this stereotype is contradicted by the evidence: https://www.ukdpc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Policy%20report%20-%20Drugs%20and%20diversity_%20ethnic%20minority%20groups%20(policy%20briefing).pdf
UKDPC wrote:In general, overall drug use is lower among minority ethnic groups than among the White population.


Not exactly

https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.ser ... lts/latest

Black people were more likely to use drugs, Asian people much less.

Well from your source, slightly further down than the first page (I wonder why):
While the chart and table show apparent differences between ethnic groups in terms of illicit drug use, the small number of respondents for some groups means only the following observations are meaningful:

Black adults were more likely to have used illicit drugs in the 12 months prior to survey, compared to all other groups except Other White

separately, Black women were more likely to have have used illicit drugs, compared to all other groups except Other White and Mixed

Asian adults, and Asian women separately, were the least likely to have used illicit drugs in the 12 months prior to survey

an estimated 11.7% of Black adults used illicit drugs in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with 3.4% of Asian adults

an estimated 9.7% of Black women used illicit drugs in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with 0.4% of Asian women

In truth, it's a complicated issue with many causes and interacting cultures. Much of the interpretation will depend on the identification of the different ethnicities.
Post Reply