For anyone of colour, the circumstances of Sarah Everard’s murder makes for grim but unsurprising reading. There really never has been a comprehensive clear-out of the racist, bigoted criminal component of a public-serving body labelled ‘institutionally racist’ back in the 1999 Macpherson Report.
Macpherson further defined institutional racism as ‘the collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin’. One could have added misogyny to this sorry list.
The Police unashamedly spinning the situation, distancing themselves from a man with form, a man they allowed to be a plainclothes and armed officer, now labelling him an ‘ex-policeman’ really does them no favours. If they aren’t going to own their problems, how can they ever expect to fix them?
Let us not forget Cressida Dick was the person in charge of the situation when blameless Electrician Jean Charles de Menezes was chased onto a tube train and shot seven times in the head, point-blank. Judge, Jury and Executioner, The SO19 officer responsible never held to account and Dick thereafter promoted to head up the Met. Some Justice. Hard then to hear her talking of the ‘fragile trust between Police and public’ being broken. Pot, meet kettle.
I then read that the Home Office and the Justice department are two of the least transparent government bodies. Again, regrettably, no surprises there. Wouldn’t it be great to read the opposite? That someone was truly held to account for their misdemeanours, rather than promoted for it?
When was the last time we read that a Minister in Office did something incredible (positive) with their position, rather than a footballer out of left field(?)the true saviour of poor children? The daughter of a migrant couple who achieves something no other tennis player has Ever accomplished? When are lessons truly learned? Why does it take a disaster for things to change for the better? When do Windrush and Grenfell victims receive justice?
History teaches us over and over that positions of power attract those that would do harm to others. The exploitation of power. Child-minding, care-work, nursing, Britain’s worst ever serial killer was a Doctor. Ditto politicians and Police. Sarah Everard was falsely arrested and placed in handcuffs, so sealing her fate. Checks and balances -accountability- needs to be even more mindful in the monitoring and punishment of those that would bend things to their own wishes and desires, or where are we as a society?
The government time after time appear completely ignorant of the fact that they exist purely to serve the people, not stand on them. That’s their job, plain and simple. It’s also the job of our Police.
