21 March 2023

"Baroness Casey’s report is a damning indictment of the racism, misogyny and homophobia institutionalised in the culture and practice of the Metropolitan police.

It comes as no surprise to the bereaved families with whom we work and who inputted into the review. Families reported violence to and neglect of their relatives by police. Their testimony highlights the scale of the denial, defensiveness, insensitivity and inaction from the police following a death.

Whilst shameful, reports such as these are not new. There have been a succession of critical reports and reviews of the police followed by the hollow words that ‘lessons will be learned’.

What bereaved families want, and have consistently called for, is meaningful structural change. Policing has proven itself incapable of reform. Without those at a leadership and corporate level acknowledging and accepting these problems as institutional, there can be no change. We need to urgently rethink policing and invest resources into communities."

Deborah Coles, INQUEST Director

ENDS