UK legislation recognises that people can be discriminated against not only directly but also indirectly. It is acknowledged that overt, direct discrimination is gradually being eradicated within the UK but that subtle, indirect forms of discrimination continue.
The vocabulary available for considering and discussing issues to do with race and ethnicity is sensitive and changes over time. The same word means or implies different things to different people. So a term which is unproblematic and indeed positive for one person may be questionable or offensive for another. Some terms and their meanings are explained in this document.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published a series of papers called “Focus on Ethnicity and Identity” which explore, compare and contrast the characteristics, lifestyles and experiences of the ethnic groups making up modern Britain. To find out more, visit www.statistics.gov.uk/focuson/ethnicity.
Macpherson Inquiry
A decade after the Macpherson Inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence, the police service across England and Wales has made significant progress in dealing with race equality issues, according to a report issued today by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
However, the report finds that the police must do more to tackle problems with stop and search and information held on the DNA database, as well as address the poor retention of new ethnic minority officers. It also reveals evidence of a ‘canteen culture’ among some specialist units which are still seen as a ‘closed shop’ to some ethnic minority recruits.
The Commission’s report, 'Police and Racism: What has been achieved 10 years after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report?', finds that progress made in the past ten years on recruitment, training and employment of ethnic minority staff is encouraging, with many individual forces providing examples of good work in this area.
The report also notes significant progress made by the police in the areas of reporting and investigation of race crimes, illustrated by the way officers dealt with the murder of Anthony Walker in 2005 compared with their investigation into Stephen Lawrence’s killing.
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