The conceptualisation of a racist, sexist, authoritarian police subculture…has become the routine gist of a much progressive left political rhetoric. Is this just politics?
This article contrasts and examines two significant historical events of the 1981 race riots and the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. Both of these events triggered the commission of public inquiries, the 1981 riots with the Scarman Inquiry and the Stephen Lawrence murder with the 1998 Macpherson Inquiry. Both produced reports that analyse and consider the impact they had on changes in legislation brought about by the reports’ respective recommendations, changes in police policy and if the recommendations did help to ease divisions of racial difference in UK society
