Liberty responds to the announcement of new Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Emmanuelle Andrews, Policy and Campaigns Manager at Liberty, said:

“With Sir Mark Rowley today being appointed as Metropolitan Police Commissioner, it’s likely we’ll hear lots about the need to rebuild trust in policing. But a change of culture won’t change the fundamental fact that broad police powers routinely put too many of us at risk of harassment, abuse and criminalisation.

“We’ve all been shocked by stories of police abuse, from the traumatic experiences of Child Q when she was strip searched at school, to the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer. It’s clear that misogyny, racism and discrimination run through British policing, and the broad powers given to police – such as those around stop and search, the use of tasers and oppressive facial recognition technology – are contributing to incidents like this and have put women, children and people of colour in particular danger.

“Too often, political parties from across the spectrum have fallen back on the lazy habit of talking about ‘cracking down’ on issues which can’t be solved by force or the threat of more policing. Instead of tired ‘new broom’ promises, now is the time to have meaningful discussions about how we can better keep communities safe, by rolling back police powers, and prioritising solutions which have human rights and social justice at their heart.”