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Hertfordshire police condemned for raid on black party

01 January 1991

Hertfordshire police condemned for raid on black party


Watford's Afro-Caribbean community are demanding an independent
inquiry into the behaviour of Hertfordshire police following
a police raid on a black party, the latest in a series of
incidents. A black pub `The Artichoke' seems to have been
singled out for police attention, but a series of raids on the
pub over the past five months has only resulted in two charges
for public order offences.
In the latest incident, the police forced entry into a
black birthday party and demanded that all the guests leave
immediately. No search warrant was shown, and, as the guests
were filing out, the police allegedly grabbed Julian Powell and
started hitting him with truncheons and kicking him. `They
dragged him down the stairs on his face and body and he left
a trail of blood on the stairs before they laid him down
outside and handcuffed his hands and feet,' an eyewitness said.
Further questions asked of the police include: why were
Metropolitan police amongst officers who carried out the raid,
and why hadn't the Environmental Health Department been called
to investigate alleged noise abuse. `People now fear holding
a private party,' said Ms. Harewood, whose house was raided.
`I made sure to telephone the police early in the evening to
inform them I was having a party, to avoid aggravation, but it
was pointless'. (Caribbean Times 18.9.90)

IRR Police-Media Bulletin No 64. Institute of Race Relations,
2-6 Leeke Street, London WC1X 9HS