Police Scotland Chief Says His Force Is ‘Institutionally Racist and Discriminatory’

Iain Livingstone, chief constable of Police Scotland, at Fettes Police Station in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Sept. 7, 2021. Andrew Milligan/PA Media

The outgoing chief constable of Police Scotland has said his force “is institutionally racist and discriminatory.”

Addressing a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) on Thursday, Sir Iain Livingstone said acknowledging the issue exists is “essential” to a commitment to champion equality and become “an anti-racist service.”

He warned that there is “no place” in Police Scotland for people who harbour prejudices, and that the behaviour of colleagues who have been found to hold such views is “utterly condemned.”

Livingstone’s statement was welcomed by Scottish politicians, with First Minister Humza Yousaf hailing it as “historic” and “monumental.”

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf visits Nova Innovation, in Edinburgh, on April 11, 2023. Fraser Bremner - Pool/Getty Images

It comes after the chief of the London Metropolitan Police refused to accept that his force was “institutionally racist.”

Martin Hewitt, then chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), warned earlier this year that “institutional” is a “very divisive” term that is often “misinterpreted.”

‘Ongoing Discrimination’

Livingstone’s comments come part way through a public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh, a black man who died after being taken into police custody in 2015.

Earlier this week, it was announced that thousands more Police Scotland officers will be enlisted to stamp out offensive “banter” and so-called “canteen culture” as part of a mandatory programme entitled Policing Together.

Also this week, a newly-published report found “instances of ongoing discrimination against minoritised communities, including first-hand accounts of racism, sexism, and homophobia” by serving officers.

Women who have worked in the police have spoken out about their experiences, and former armed response officer Rhona Malone last year won almost £1 million in compensation from the force after an employment tribunal ruled she had been victimised while raising sexism concerns.

‘Monumental’

Speaking during First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, Yousaf said he had challenged “racism in the police force” himself when he was younger, after being stopped and searched “over a dozen times” by police officers.

He said: “There is no doubt that institutional racism exists in our society, and I want to take a moment just to say, as a person of colour, the statement from the chief constable is monumental, historic.”

The first minister added that acknowledging “institutional racism” and “institutional misogyny” is the “first step that is required in order to then dismantle those institutional and structural barriers that exist.”

He said he is “committed to working with Police Scotland” on these issues.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, whose wife is a serving police officer, called for urgent action to “overhaul how Police Scotland handles legitimate complaints from within the force.”

He said: “Nobody should feel fear when raising concerns. That’s clearly unacceptable. Officers should be able to raise legitimate issues without suffering any consequences.”

‘Very Divisive’

In March, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised for letting Londoners down after a damning review by Baroness Louise Casey said there’s “institutional racism, misogyny, and homophobia” in the police force.

But the police chief rejected Casey’s use of the word “institutional,” saying it has become politicised and ambiguous in recent years.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley appearing before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, to answer questions about the David Carrick case, at City Hall in east London, on Jan. 25, 2023. Yui Mok/PA Media

“I understand her use of the term institutional. It’s not a term I use myself,” he said.

“I’m a practical police officer. I have to use language that’s unambiguous and is apolitical, and that term means lots of different things to different people and has become politicised in recent debate over the last decade or so.”

Also commenting on the Casey review at the time, NPCC’s then-chief Martin Hewitt said police acknowledge “all of those discriminatory behaviours exist to some extent.”

But he said the word “institutional” is “very divisive” and is often “misinterpreted,” warning that using it could mean “nuance gets lost.”

Lily Zhou and PA Media contributed to this report.