The Metropolitan Police: Lessons learned? Photo credit: Chris Brown, http://flic.kr/p/6bPcyZ
The conviction of Gary Dobson and David Norris of the racist murder of 19-year-old Stephen Lawrence after eighteen years has sent the commentariat into overdrive. Most commentators are focusing on the effect of the case on Britain’s attitude towards racism. The initial failed Metropolitan Police investigation drew widespread condemnation; the resulting Macpherson inquiry ordered by then-Home Secretary Jack Straw found the Met Police was “institutionally racist” and criticised “fundamental errors” by officers.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Matthew Ryder QC described the case as Britain’s “Rosa Parks moment“, referring to an iconic moment in America’s Civil Rights movement. But others have pointed to the England riots and the murder of an Indian student in December as evidence that racial inequality and hatred remains, particularly with regards to policing. So what, if any, effect has the murder of Stephen Lawrence had on race relations in Britain?
Gary Dobson was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and two months, while David Norris received a minimum term of 14 years and three months, reported The Guardian.
Ending denial. “The case is a landmark in British life because of what it taught us about race”, wrote Brian Cathcart in The Independent, saying that although it has obviously not ended racism, the case brought the subject of race relations into the public arena. Cathcart pointed out that in the weeks immediately after the murder, both police and press tried to play down the idea that the attack was racially motivated: “Most of white Britain – that is, most of Britain – was so deeply uncomfortable with issues of race that we tended to pull down the shutters at the very mention of the word”, he said. The key point, argued Cathcart, was that the Lawrence murder eventually forced British people to see that racism is not just about extremists but that it can exist in “collective thoughtlessness.”
“Had the police done their job properly, I would have spent the last 18 years grieving for my son rather than fighting to get his killers to court”, said Doreen Lawrence after two men were convicted of the racist murder of her son in 1993, reported The Guardian.
Cultural change. Trevor Phillips agreed in The Telegraph that the Lawrence case brought about “cultural and systemic changes” in British society, and has had profound effects on the police, media and politics. Phillips said that the situation is still far from ideal, pointing out that there are still too many racially motivated crimes, ethnic inequality in police stop-and-search procedures and social inequality for young black men. However, Phillips remained optimistic that the changes brought about by the murder of Lawrence would be long-lasting: “The underlying changes in British society are such that it is unlikely that we will ever return to the dark days before 1993.”
“I hope that both parents, their wider family, and supporters can take some comfort from the fact that there is a lasting memorial for Stephen’s sacrifice: they have made Britain a better place”, wrote former Home Secretary Jack Straw in The Times.
No celebration. According to a Guardian editorial, the conviction of Dobson and Norris provokes “mixed feelings”, given that Lawrence’s parents had to wait so long for justice and that further charges may result. The Guardian argued that the case has “inflicted a generation of shame” on the Metropolitan Police, the suspects who lied and on the families and friends who protected the killers. “The verdicts have not purged English criminal justice of its failures. Hate crimes still go unprosecuted”, said The Guardian, but at least the conviction of Dobson and Norris shows that the British legal system is able to “correct its mistakes.”
“The police believe as many as 11 people could have taken part. The truth is that one or more of the killers have still eluded the law”, said an Independent editorial.
Where do we go from here? Many people will say the verdict means it is time to move on, said Hugh Muir on The Guardian’s Comment is Free, but there is still much to be done to improve racial equality and create better opportunities for teenagers in deprived areas. “Stephen was denied his opportunity by the assassin’s knife; most are denied their chance to make fruitful lives for themselves by the mundane hurdles of discrimination and lack of opportunity”, wrote Muir, highlighting recent figures that suggest half of black people from 16-24 are unemployed compared with 20 percent of white people from the same age group.
“Some JUSTICE at last,” tweeted Duwayne Brooks, best friend of Stephen Lawrence, who witnessed the murder and gave evidence at the trial of Dobson and Norris.
‘A qualified victory’. A Times editorial described the verdict as “a qualified victory”, pointing out that the police force still lacks ethnic diversity. The Independent said that the fact that Stephen Lawrence’s mother had to campaign in order to get justice was not necessarily something to be celebrated: “Justice for a murdered teenager, whatever his ethnicity, should be fundamental to the system. It should not have to depend on the devotion of a mother.”
