POLICE RACE-RELATIONS IN ENGLAND - A HISTORY OF POLICY

This paper charts the history of ideas that has informed police race r elations policies in England. Particular attention is given to trainin g policies. Ideas of cultural difference initially underpinned these a nd other policies. Police race relations became a specialism within mo st of England's 43 constabularies. One consequence of the serious publ ic disorder on the streets of many of England's cities in 1981, howeve r, was a perception by the representatives of black people that specia lization was a means of isolating them from routine policing. Indeed, the disorders posed a major question about how race relations could be taken in to account in routine policing? Training had to address gene ric and more specific issues of race relations. The difficulties encou ntered in answering this question are discussed. The recent, crucial i nterventions of black police officers as opinion formers within consta bularies makes a significant change in the history charted. Previously driven by external events, questions about race relations policies ar e now also considered by a new constituency working within the police - black officers. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.