UK: Black and white minstrel "farce"
01 July 1997
South Yorkshire police have been forced to review their identification procedures after eight white men were "blacked-up" by a make-up artist to participate in an identification parade with a black suspect. Martin Kamara walked free from Sheffield Crown Court in July after his trial was abandoned when the court heard how the mens' hands had not been coloured and their make-up smudged under the bright lights. Judge Michael Astill dismissed the charges describing the identity parade as "a farce". However, South Yorkshire assistant chief constable, Tim Hollis, defended the parade claiming that the force had acted in good faith. He added: "...we got it wrong trying to be as fair as we could to provide the right kind of evidence."
The South Yorkshire fiasco follows on from a decision to allow hundreds of police officers to retake their promotion examinations because "they were unable to deal with black actors pretending to be traffic wardens" during national tests. In previous examinations the Police Promotions Examinations Board decided to stop using black actors because "officers had performed better when dealing with white actors and this may be because race was confusing them." The thirteen black actors who were dismissed following the latest incident have now been reinstated by the Home Office.
It is hardly surprising to note that the 1996/97 Annual Report of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) notes a "substantial increase" in statistics for complaints of racially discriminatory behaviour by police officers; the figures increased from 397 complaints in 1995/96 to 444. While acknowledging that in previous years "the growth in complaints has not been accompanied by a corresponding increase in disciplinary action" it asserts that 1996/97 "saw a significant change". However, this significant change turns out to be little more than a drop in the ocean, with 5 officers being dismissed or resigning because of racially discriminatory behaviour and a sixth receiving a seven day's pay fine for racially offensive behaviour.
Police Complaints Authority Annual Report 1996/97; Police Review 1.8.97; Independent 5.8.97.