The National Black Police Association sends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Tyre Nichols after his murder at the hands of those who were tasked with protecting the community. The flagrant disregard for the life of a human being was stark and shocking, particularly so soon after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the widespread global outrage from many sections of society.
The news is the latest in a wave of stories both in the UK and around the world about members of the police service behaving in a manner which brings discredit to the many brave men and women who put on a uniform to protect the communities we serve.
The fact the officers involved in the murder of Tyre Nichols were black, highlights the structural nature of racism in policing which views Black people as suspects and more of a threat than our majority communities. Officers appear more emboldened to disproportionately target Black communities as they do not have people in positions of power who look like them and who have the ability to call out racism and injustice on their behalf.
Since the murder of George Floyd many promises have been made by Government’s and policing bodies around the world. Unfortunately these promises have yet to deliver the sweeping changes we hoped to see and we are instead witnessing an emboldened reworking of the politics of racial division and hate aimed at rolling back the struggle for racial equality.
We had hoped to never read about the killing of another Black person but hope yet again, this can serve as a reminder of why policing must make race a priority.
In the UK, we continue to work with the National Police Chiefs Council and the College of Policing to improve the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in policing through the Police Race Action Plan and are doing all we can to ensure Chief Officers in every police service move on this important issue.
30th January 2023