/ Toni Gorton HE YEARS of disappointent, frustration and use that drove Brixton's suth into battle with ›lice earlier this year will not : answered by the proposals Lord Scarman.
They are too little and too te - "mere tinkering' as Daris Howe, one of the better1own spokespersons of the ack community puts ore than this, some recomendations are threatening to vil rights.
The significance GLIS be lost on anyone. ley break itish society by large sections of the ast oppressed of the inner cities. Provoked beyond endurance by e massive police operation Swamp black youth were joined by lites in street battles unprecedenico the British mainland this century.
Immediately the government callupon Baron Scarman of Quat to vestigate and make recommendauns.
In its eyes the task was fourfold; st to obscure the depth of the social isis; second, to defuse belief that itish society was racist and thereby aw the traditional leaders of the ack community back into colsoration; third, to clean up blic image of the police, anges in their practice and authoriso as to make them more effective; #TIN strengthen the laws zard to public disorder" which they rsee will be needed in the future.
Scarman has done a good job for e Tories, apportioning blame in an en-handed way.
He has met with an almost univerlly positive response edia, police and parliament.
But this liberal minded Lord has jected some of the fundamental mands thrown up in the course of iblic debate.
He has retused to acknowledge e deep-seated and institutionalised cism of British society; has refused recommend that the Special Patrol roup be disbanded; has refused the reater London Council control over e Metropolitan Police Force; and fused to argue for a massive injecon of public resources to provide yes, schools and jobs in the inner ties. sals threaten democratic rights. For And further, 30I8G of his ablic Order Acte iblic would cessity for organisers of demonstraons to inform police of their plans id would remove from the law any cessity of the police to prove that crious" risk exists to public order om a march, Ted Knight, leader of Lambeth buncil, most clearly exposed Scaran's "solutions'. He pointed out at unemployment in the borough d increased by per percent in the ist year and teenage unemployment id increased by 40 percent since pril.
"What he fails to spell out is the onomic realities under which the cal attempting serate, Knight said.
'He ignores the pertinent fact that ambeth is one of the inner roughs which has been malised by Mr Heseltine since onservative government came into wer.
Knight summed it up as a 'no hope port'.
cialist Challenge 3 December 1981 page 4 Scarman documents many of the factors which led to the racist breakdown in relations between the He believes that there are two the well-known principles of policing a free society, consent and balance; and independence and accountability. For him, the priority of the police must be to maintain public tranquility" and law shouldn't put this at risk. *Let justice be done, though the it. heavens collapse may be apt for a judge, says Scarman but it can lead a policeman into tactics disruptive of the very fabric of society.
In this context, Scarman seeks to April ensure that the the community. leave this to chance so he proposes that consultation is But consultation will only be with acceplable bodies and he calls forinvestigation into the local Community Relations Councils which he sees as too readily influenced by extreme political views.
The police moved in advance of the Scarman report to propose that they would welcome an 'independent" presence on the police complaints board. This is one of the most sore points of public contact with police.
BEne in the impose a to city savagely the Many enforcement the police.
police are 'sensitive"
He is not going to community mandatory by end of the wedge.
ongoing discrimination.
The real issue is of course accountability and who controls the police Scarman is against the GLC having responsibility for London's police on the amazing grounds that parliament wouldn't like it.
Russeil Profitt, a black London councillor, raised his objection to the whole concept of community policing. He was concerned that when the police started running the youth clubs and recreation centres (as happens in Handsworth Birmingham) that this amounts to police control of the com munity and not community control of This is what we have to watch out for — the integration of the police into the schools, youth facilities and organisations. The recommendations of the Scarman report, if acted upon could be the thin The report raises some other questions which could be the basis of debate and discussion especially around the idea of positive discrimination to enable black people to overcome their heritage of racial All in all Lord Scarman has constructed a skillful cosmetic job on the discase-ridden face of British society - but it won't cure the patient.
FION What Scarman proposes • improved vetting of candidates for police to eliminate racial discrimination • extending training period to six months • racist behaviour to be grounds for dismissal • continued use of Special Patrol Group and 'stop and search' powers • statutory requirement of consultation between police and community • London police to continue to be directly under control of Home Office • supports use of water GAGGED cannon, CS gas and plastic • compilation of statistics on ethnic minorities by census and local government • press authorities to review coverage of disorders • random checks by lay persons into interrocation and detention of suspects in the police stations • reform police complaint procedure - introduce an independent element • against a new Riot Act • Public Order Act to be amended: - advance notice or a procession -delation of 'serious' from Support the national demonstration eatic oreer test on 12 December in Bradford. selective bans on marches AssemDie Is Manninonam car For further information phone 01-571 4920