Going against recommendations from the Macpherson report into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, the PCA says "We don't agree with the blanket approach - it's too 'one size fits all... there are occasions when incidents aren't that clear cut."

Racism is a serious breach of conduct and diluting the Lawrence recommendation like this is not acceptable, says the National Assembly Against Racism.

Is the approach too 'one size fits all'? Do the police need to come down harder on racism in the force? Is watering down the guidelines allowing racism to flourish?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

Your reaction

The following comments reflect the balance of views we have received:

In Scotland most car thieves are generalised as little white males with baseball caps, shell suits, cropped hair and nasal accents. Does this mean that the police should be arresting more black or Pakistani people? No - because these are not the guys perpetrating the crimes, the shellsuited neds are! I am a bit concerned that 'racism' seems to only cover discrimination against people of a different colour. I don't agree with one size fits all as at one end of the spectrum we have Stephen Lawrence and at the other we have day to day 'banter'. How many Scots and English born people face witty banter from their police colleagues when they are working in each other's countries?
Brian, Scotland

Many people treat the Mcpherson report as if it were the bible. In reality, it is just as subject to flaws as any other document. It is therefore absolutely necessary in this case for the police to review the recommendations, rather than slavishly following them. To do otherwise would allow Lord Macpherson to effectively dictate police policy.
Brendan Fernandes, UK

It's the continuous playing of the race-card that breeds resentment Bob, UK

Our police aren't racist. They are scared to arrest anyone who is black, because the race card has been played so many times. Now they want us to sack a Police officer if he arrests a black person for a crime? Stupid. If Black and Asian people want equality they have to realise that they are capable of sickening crimes just like everyone else. It's the continuous playing of the race-card that breeds resentment.
Bob, UK

How can treating each case individually deal with the institutional racism which is still as widespread as it ever was? It doesn't stop at racism either - anyone who doesn't fit the "white middle-class 2.4 children and a Volvo in the garage" template will almost certainly be victimised by the police for the way they look sooner or later.
David Howe, UK

I am a black man. I have never been arrested and have never had a point on my driving license or never even received a parking ticket. I am still stopped by the police while driving my car (currently a six month old sports car) about once a month. I must admit I find it highly irritating. While the police officers involved are always polite, as I am to them, not one has ever been able to give a sensible reason for why I am so frequently stopped. My white male friends with similar cars and records have never been stopped. Why? I am afraid that racism is built into the British psyche. There is no getting away from it. I will continue to be polite but when I finally lose my temper - do not accuse me of being yet another difficult black man!
Mark Cooper, England

Having lived in the UK until I was 25 and moving to the USA I have had the experience of both police forces. I myself am a white man who had a fairly privileged upbringing. Racism is sickening and must be combated but in today's world many have forgotten what racism is. It is to treat everyone fairly and therefore I somewhat welcome the advice by the PCA. Why? there is no doubt that racism is present in the force. However it is important that special privileges are not given to those minorities if we are to truly combat racism and treat all equally. America seemed to take a far more relaxed few which I think works in the cities.
Dan Killson, USA

Institutional racism has already led to the police failing to catch the guilty on a number of occasions Gez Smith, Bristol, UK

Anyone who thinks that the police should be left to fight crime without interference or scrutiny obviously doesn't believe in democracy. We pay vast amounts of tax for the police, and have the right to expect an effective service from them in return. Institutional racism has already led to the police failing to catch the guilty on a number of occasions, and on those grounds at least the police must be held accountable.
Gez Smith, Bristol, UK

My stepfather is a retired police officer. For his last 11 years service he was a dog-handler. During that last 11 years the only arrests he ever made/was involved in were afro-Caribbean males. This is an amazing fact of life, and could not be dismissed as racism. Neither he nor I am racist. Am I racist for writing this letter, or is my step-father racist for doing his job?
Andrew, UK

If anyone needs statistics then it is documented that 63% of mugging victims reported to the Metropolitan police that their attackers were black. The statistics say 'most muggers are black', NOT 'most blacks are muggers' can you see the difference? The reverend Jesse Jackson has been quoted as saying he was ashamed that if he heard footsteps behind him in the street he was relieved if he looked round and saw a white face.

I can't remember the last time I saw a burning cross, nor a 'whites only' sign on a bus but I can remember the last time I saw the race card played by someone who thought they were Martin Luther King. It makes me sick to see some off-colour language compared to the dreadful racism of '50s and '60s America. Let the police deal with the problem and let the responsible members of the black community help them.
Reid, UK

Do you really believe that criminality is genetic? Ben Drake, York, UK

I'm alarmed at claims that people from ethnic minorities are more likely to commit crime. Do you really believe that criminality is genetic? It's anti-scientific racist nonsense dragged up from the 19th century. It's true that black people are more likely to be arrested and charged, but that's the point; that's the racism in the system.
Ben Drake, York, UK

Ben Drake, no one is saying it's genetic, more cultural. As proved by Sir Paul Condon several years ago, the majority of street crime is perpetrated by young Black men. Who seems to continually graffiti trains and public places? Young black men. The Police target young black men in the street mainly because statistically, it is young black men that cause street crime
Ed, UK

To Ben Drake, statistics show that most street crime is committed by young black males. Most paedophiles are middle aged white men. Most rapes are by white and Asian men. Most joy riders are young white men. In fact, most crime is by men. Maybe we should look at that first!
Helen, UK

I have found our police officers always to be polite, considerate and helpful Wahid Anwar, UK

I have been stopped by police a few times, just out of their duty to the public. I have found our police officers always to be polite, considerate and helpful. I think if I had the wrong attitude from the moment they stopped me, it would be a different matter. As with anybody in life, if you are nice, they are nice. Too often, black people think that the only reason they are being stopped is because the police officers are racist. They are just doing their job of protecting us.
Wahid Anwar, UK

I was disgusted with some of the comments made by people when I lived in London - including one policeman who lived near me. The nice police officer, who had never gone to Australia or met an Aboriginal person, told me that the only reason my country had any crime was because of our "darkies". When I pointed out to him that all of our mass murderers have been white he politely informed me that I didn't know what I was talking about. I'd suggest that either at least some of your police are racist, or you need a complete overhaul of how you teach the history of the British Empire.
Chris, Australia

The idea that certain ethnic groups have a predisposition to crime is complete and utter rubbish. The statistics bandied about in both the US & UK that is supposed to support this 'fact' is fundamentally flawed. If a police force targets an ethnic group, then sure, they will find criminal activity within that group. However, targeted Policing by its very nature excludes other ethnic groups. So if the police target blacks, they stop 30 black men and find 2 carrying drugs and so starts the statistical nonsense, because they have just ignored 30 white men, some of which would undoubtedly have also been in possession of drugs.
Cameron, UK

As a black person, I have never had an encounter with the police before in my life (don't want to either)...but to suggest that a police officer is dismissed for racism, I find that preposterous. He should be 'asked' to be more careful next time around.
Chux, Leeds

I am a primary school teacher and racism is either on the increase, or people feel it's acceptable. It's not acceptable and we must educate children, more or less from birth, not only to tolerate each other but also to be grateful and to feel honoured that we live in a multicultural, multifaith country.
Marios Solomonides, England

How many people moaning about racism here, also moan about the police being too slow to deal with call-outs? It is this very kind of accusation that adds more and more time to the work of a police officer, and less of his time to fighting crime.
Andy M, UK

We need to be tougher on law and have harsher sentences for the out of control violence and anarchy on British streets, rather than concentrating on the usage of English language by our world-class police force.
John, England

It isn't just racism it's the stereotyping of the public that goes on within the police-force. A friend of mine was recently arrested for breaking up a fight (the charges were later dropped following CCTV footage) all because he is a fairly large lad with no hair!! I think racism is treated as the worst but it is just as bad as any other approach that means someone is arrested because of their appearance whether they are black, white, male or female.
Helen, UK

Without doubt policeman must remain impartial at all times Dom, UK

Without doubt policeman must remain impartial at all times. It is not only right that they should be sacked, but I think they should be on a register that stops them getting other jobs where their racist attitudes affect other people.
Dom, UK

One thing the British public should be aware of is that racism is a growing trend in the UK. I experience problems unlike that I ever experienced when I lived in California, before moving to England. I now live in Germany, and, so far, I have not experienced anything like what I had in the 10 years I lived England. First thing you people need to do is acknowledge you have a racism problem, then you can start talking about tackling this problem. Eventually the police will follow. Hopefully.
Miguel Nieto, Germany

I am amazed. Crime rates are going up (out of control), detection rates by the police are going down, and once again it seems some people think sacking policemen for racism should be a top priority! I would rather the police had to go on courses on how to catch criminals. Racism IS important, but let's put criminals behind bars first.
L Kelly, France

You can't blame the entire police department for being racist. But there are some who are. Sometimes a single incident can cause people to lose their confidence and trust from the entire police force. Every individual police officer should keep that in mind. And on the other side, people coming from the east are not very law abiding people. I know that. I am from the east. Some hard handedness (a little, not much) is imperative. Even in a multicultural society people can and do live in different ages of social evolution. Police do need a special education to deal with their problems.
Agha Ata, USA

It makes me sick that in targeting crime there is a fact that racial minorities create more crime on the whole that the majority. This is a percentage. And if the police try to target these minorities they are accused of being racists. What about these groups of minorities that stick together and cause crime, are they not racist? But it also angers me that if a minority group are racist against the majority it is not a racist attack or statement. The minorities are racist for not trying to mingle with the majority and making themselves more noticed as a minority. That is what I have to say on the matter. Let the police combat crime by using facts, not politically correct opinions.
Nina, UK

No one has crime programmed into his or her genes TJ, UK (Nigerian)

I don't know where people get the 'statistics' that people of ethnic minorities commit more crime. I live in the North East of England, which is a white dominated majority, and there is a lot of drug crime committed by mostly white people. People need to break the stereotypical views that certain people commit more crime, or else this will lead to the ugly situation in the US where racial profiling is (an encouraged) fact of life.

The socio-economic reasons for crime should be looked into, not racial or social origin because no one has crime programmed into his or her genes. And yes, I believe that each police officer should be reviewed separately when it comes to dealing with issues of racism because this is a very emotive and shady issue that can't be resolved using a blanket approach. After all, isn't the blanket approach the cause of all forms of discrimination?
TJ, UK (Nigerian)

Just remember - the term racist can be applied to black on white just as much as white on black - or is that not politically correct thought. I personally don't a care a pair of fetid dingo's kidneys what colour a person's skin is, but some people do (fact, white AND black) you can't legislate for a person's thoughts.
Alan, England

It is pretty blatant that the criminal justice system is there to deal with crime and protect the criminal. How incredibly frustrating this must be for the police, the majority of whom work hard, sometimes bending the rules to actively protect the victims. Let's let them get on with their jobs and not have another threat hanging over them that if they make a harmless comment that can be interpreted in just such a way that they stand to lose all!
Simon Mallett, UK

Here we go again blaming the police, for arresting too many ethnic minorities, when will someone start looking at the numbers of crimes per head of population group to argue the case that the police are only doing their job, race doesn't come into the equation unless you take account of the offences.
Jon, UK

The problem isn't racism so much; it's the perception of racism. Steve G, UK

The problem isn't racism so much; it's the perception of racism. People forget the actual definition of racism. Most people seem to think its white people penalising black people. It isn't, it's someone penalising someone else because of their race or skin colour. It goes both ways, not just one. Until we have a system which removes the emphasis from the ethnicity and focuses on the crime itself, we'll never have a cure to racism.
Steve G, UK

Since when was it accepted that minorities are more involved in crime than whites? Where do you get this assumption? You should come to the council estate where I live and see the number of crimes committed, with not a black, brown or any other non-white skin colour around.
ST, UK

Racists in the police force are a minority and those that are tend to judge minorities based on the actions of a few. Funny really, because that is exactly the way most people view the police. If a few are bad then they must all be bad. Maybe if the police led by example and didn't paint everyone with the same brush then maybe we wouldn't do the same to them. Although I do think if you dress like a "gangsta" you really don't have much to complain about when stopped and searched and that goes to all gangsta wannabes of all races.
Steve, London

There are much worse things about the police than racism. How about dishonesty, sexism, and laziness? Obviously there are exceptions, but I have lived in areas where the police routinely lied to get convictions, and the laddish nature of many police officers is self-evident. The ambience of every police station I have ever been to is one of indolence and ineffectiveness. Small wonder crime rates soar and arrests dwindle.
Andrew, UK

It is acknowledged that minorities are more involved in crime than whites. So it makes sense that police officers target these minorities. This has nothing to do with racism, but all with combating crime
Crispin, London, UK

The Police in Britain have a privileged status. Offences committed against police officers are dealt with much more severely by the Law. For example, a minor assault against a police officer (say, pushing or a light slap) will draw a much heavier legal penalty than the same offence against a non-police civilian. This is because as a society we rightly attach special importance to the work that the police do and the responsibility that goes with it.

By the same token, we should therefore take offences committed by serving police staff that much more seriously and the penalties should be that much more severe. We have the right to expect high standards of our police because that's part of the job they are paid (well) to do. A crime such as verbal racism should NEVER be tolerated in the police force as to do so is to grossly undermine the special status accorded to the police. They can't have it both ways.
Paul Wilson, UK

Until I had personal involvement with the police I had no real feelings one way or the other. However the way I was treated when arrested, with an obvious assumption of guilt even from those not directly involved, together with the lack of any concern, interest or humanity shown, has turned me against the police for ever. The charges laid against me were eventually dropped but not before ruining my social and professional life. And I am white, male and middle class. The whole attitude of the police needs changing and I can quite believe that ethnic minorities get even worse treatment than I did.
Andrew Carter, UK

The police have always concentrated on, and disliked those who create work for them. We all have this attitude if we work with the public. In the past it was the Irish and the working class who received attention from the police and now it is primarily the black community. This problem with the police is reflected EVERYWHERE in the world with a sizable black minority however nobody ever asks themselves why all other minorities such as the Chinese, Indian or Turkish are shouting as loudly. Could it be that the police normally don't bother them as they behave themselves? Just a thought.
Doug, London UK

The key is to get a more diverse police force Tim, UK

The key is to get a more diverse police force. As with any organisation, if the environment is robustly multicultural and the members rely on each other day in day out then there will be no racism, and certainly not institutionalised.
Tim, UK

If you dismissed people every time they did something wrong, you'd have no workforce left! Elevating racism to the most serious misdemeanour of all lacks objectivity. You've got to consider the whole person and the contributions they are making in all areas of their job.
Bill, UK

I find it very interesting that many people complain in other contexts the police do not investigate crimes properly and sometimes do not even turn up when they are called, and that the interests of the criminal outweigh those of the victim. Yet when it's the police themselves who are accused of something like racism they are suddenly beyond reproach.
Jane, Wales, UK

It's great when white people moan because something slightly racist comes there way. I'm white but I recognise that as the majority whites are the oppressors in this society - that might sound like a complete overstatement but it's about time 'middle class white man' realised that society isn't fair and it really isn't that big a deal to cut people some slack and certainly not big enough to start whining about things not being fair.
Nick, London, UK

The Police are doing a great job given their restrictions. We should give them a break, instead of being so judgemental.
Amiel, UK

Once again the myth that black people get preferential treatment by playing the race card raises its ugly head. Of course any criminal is going to "try it on" using whatever excuse he can. But the fact that only 6% of complaints are upheld suggests to me that the benefit of doubt always comes down on the side of the police officer. The current fuss arises because racism is not regarded seriously enough. I wonder if there would be an objection to "one size fits all" if an officer was caught stealing or taking bribes.
Charles Moore, Scotland

Surely our aim should be that a police officer should deal in a firm but considerate way with ANY member of the public. Can we please stop rattling on about racism and give the police a break.
Christian Tiburtius, UK

As an increasingly multi-racial society our public services should reflect the diversity of the population. That is very much not the case of the police force and recent efforts to recruit from ethnic minorities will be undermined if there is a perception that racism is being tolerated.
Stuart Fenton, UK

The frequency of incidents of racism in the newspapers or in news will definitely hamper the faith of general public in professional policing however if we shield such incidences, we are indirectly encouraging the bad lot of policemen. In my opinion we have to review our system from level one that is 'schools' and in addition to this we have to educate the general public about their rights and what law offers them in case of an unfortunate event of racial discrimination.
Gauav, India

Police officers are supposed to be custodians of justice. Racism is a great injustice surely meaning that guilty officers are contradicting their own job description, so it has to be a sacking offence. It's fair enough for the PCA to say that every case should be considered individually but some clear, implementable strategy has to be put in place. A policy of 'sacking unless able to prove sufficient reason for an incident' would be fair. If cases aren't clear-cut this would give officers the chance to justify their actions. For the PCA to shy away from implementing anything but a practical, definite means of dealing with this issue is like an endorsement of racism, or at the very least implies that this kind of behaviour is acceptable to 'some degree'.
Ryan Smith, UK

The answer must be in educating officers not immediately sacking them Steve, Hong Kong

I believe everybody to be racist to some degree in every multicultural society. It is certainly not a condition confined to white people or police officers. Whilst there should be no tolerance of racism the police as far as possible recruit from a cross section of a society and will inevitably recruit officers who are racist to some degree even if the officer does not recognise the fact. The answer must be in educating officers not immediately sacking them for some attitude that may have manifested itself during an incident where they were perhaps under severe stress. If this zero tolerance to racist actions and views was adopted there would be very few persons who serve the public left in employment. We unfortunately do not live in a perfect world.
Steve, Hong Kong

I dislike the idea of automatic penalties, since the degree of fairness is entirely down to how well thought-out the definition of "behaving in a racist way" is. By judging each case on its own merits, the people passing judgement are forced to think about all the relevant factors, and the result will generally be a more balanced and fair outcome. Where racism is concerned, the very worst that can be done is to give fuel to the racists by making the system look biased in any way.
David Hazel, UK

It is clearly unacceptable that a few "bad apples" in the force will treat one ethnic group more severely than another, but just as unacceptable that a black suspect can be treated more leniently than a white suspect simply by claiming racism.
John B, UK

Although racism has been identified in the force by the Macpherson report, little action has been taken on the key recommendations of the report. This is where more work needs to be done to train the police to be culturally aware of people with different ethnic backgrounds.
Stephen Henstead, UK

Compulsory termination will not solve the issue. We have problems of our own here in the USA, however we investigate each incident as it occurs. Most police officers want to do their job, go home, and feel appreciated for the job they do. In our community we found that the appreciation part was not happening. We haven't fixed it yet, but relations are improving. Best of luck.
Carlton Nielsen, USA

It doesn't matter whether it's racist police, inefficient teachers or incompetent social workers - if they can't do their jobs competently, they should be fired. What they do is too important to tolerate incompetence and the unions that represent them should acknowledge it. Why should taxpayers support any of them while they contribute to the deterioration of society? It doesn't make sense.
Fiona, Scotland

Virtually everybody is guilty of prejudice of some sort be it comments against size, appearance, nationality or colour. Is it not discrimination to try and eradicate racism and leave all other prejudices untreated? This is not a perfect world but to try and give preferential treatment to non whites can only be to the detriment of racial harmony. I for one think it is another example of this country bending over backwards to accommodate so called political correctness. Let the police get on with their already difficult job and not have to worry about senseless objections.
Jason, England

I would say that "zero tolerance" is called for, not until the police come to understand that they have to apply the law to themselves in they same way that they are eager to apply laws to the rest of us will anyone trust them.
Richard, UK

So very soon black criminals will not be arrested as white officers will be too scared to apprehend the culprits. Yet another case of the scales of "equal opportunities" being tipped in favour of non-whites then.
Andy T, UK

It's a sad fact that there are some people from ethnic minorities who like to hold on to the idea of racism everywhere as an excuse for whatever bad things befall them. If you want to solve the problem of real racism, you have to first get rid of these elements, which make up a majority of the statistics. I'm a white middle class male, if only I had something to blame when something goes wrong for me. (Don't get me wrong, racism is evil and wrong, but people who falsely play the race card are just as wicked)
Chris, UK

There's no such thing as "institutional racism" because there is no such thing as a collective mind. There are merely individuals who each take conscious decisions for their own actions, and who form their own opinions. If there's racism, deal with the individual source, black or white.
Tom Franklin, UK

People need to start opening their eyes and realise that the police are there for our benefit Jennifer, UK

The police have a hard enough job as it is without everyone crying "Racism". I have noticed that you hardly ever hear of a case where a white citizen has claimed racism even though the police force is of mixed race, yet any one who is not of white origin or from the UK manages to get away with it all the time. People need to start opening their eyes and realise that the police are there for our benefit, no matter what your skin colour or where you come from. Imagine the UK without them and I don't think you would like the outcome. People sometimes say that the police don't do a good job. Well, I am afraid I would have to disagree.
Jennifer, UK

As soon as a "one size fits all" policy such as this is introduced into any large organisation, like the Police force; you instantly switch the power slightly further away from the people doing their job, in favour those that want to make it hard for them to do it.
Ben, USA

Institutional racism exists in many sectors. The fact that a policeman is more likely to be accused of being a "racist" is unfortunately due to the nature of the job. Root out the individual racists yes, but do not provide the legal system with yet another stick to flog the police force and further compromise their effectiveness in dealing with criminals.
Craig H, UK/South Africa

Policemen and policewomen are doing a terrific job Mark, Singapore

I am a foreign Chinese student who has been studying in Britain for nearly eight years. I think policemen and policewomen are doing a terrific job and should be applauded for their high tolerance level when dealing with certain groups who are bent on pushing the boundaries of peace to the point of social discontent. Sacking any police officer found to have behaved in a racist way is appalling, especially if the individual in question has been provoked.
Mark, Singapore

Living in the US we see police brutality/racism towards minority citizens all the time. If the policy of firing officers who displayed racist ideals was adopted in the US, half the police departments across this country would lose a lot of personnel overnight. I agree with not only firing police officers who display racism, but prosecuting them for hate crimes.
Ralph, Chicago, Illinois, US

I was accused of being racist Fiona K, UK

I was once accused of being racist when I - as a team leader - brought to the attention of my manager the poor attendance, shoddy work, dreadful attitude, and appalling customer service of one my black team members. We had customer complaints about him, the rest of us had to double check his work all the time, and he was rude beyond belief. But it was said to me that "you could be perceived as racist if you continue to criticise him". That's the trouble - perception is winning, not the truth. Any paranoid idiot can claim to "feel victimised" but whether they are or not is a very different matter.
Fiona K, UK

There is a huge difference between a police officer who is deliberately racist and one who appears so because he makes some insensitive remarks as a result of thoughtlessness or ignorance. The first should be sacked; the second should be offered training.
Adam, UK

Sending someone on a course is never likely to work; to say that some well chosen words can change a persons ingrained beliefs, however misguided and ignorant, is laughable. Once guilt of racism has been established then yes, the officer in question should be sacked.
Chloe, UK

I know I don't trust white police officers Rustam Roy, England (ex-India)

Once guilt has been established, I fail to see any reason that would justify a racist police officer from retaining his or her job - the police force, after all, is supposed to look after all citizens equally and not just white English people. As a non-English person myself, I know that I don't trust white police officers until I have actually spoken to the person concerned and satisfied myself. . If the government is serious, the PCA must not be allowed to self-regulate and shield those of its officers who are racist.
Rustam Roy, England (ex-India)

I take offence to Rustam Roy's comments. If I was to say that I would not trust a black or Asian police officer I would quite rightly be branded racist! Not all white people are narrow minded bigots!!
Andrew, Wales

Rustam Roy: You do not trust 'white police officers'. What all of them? Is this not racist? Of course it is, but I expect that you are no more racist than the average police officer. I suppose this just shows that it is not a cut and dried issue, as it is an individual's perception of the behaviour of a certain group of people that often causes the stereotype feeling. As such, each case should be taken on its merits.
Steve Caron, UK

I am surprised at Rustam Roy's remarks about not trusting "white officers" - is that to say that only white police officers are capable of racial discrimination?
John Tasker, Thailand

I don't think that racism in the police force will ever be solved as long as racism and ghettos continue to exist in our society. We need to tackle the issues at the root of the problem, such as reducing the gap between rich and poor, which is currently widening.
Helen C, UK

Each case is different and to brand all police as racist is wrong as most are decent, extremely hard working people.
Matt, UK

We are all discriminatory in one way or another Tony, England

Such a draconian approach would drive racists underground. We are all discriminatory in one way or another and we all have a responsibility to understand our prejudices and how to modify our behaviour. Unfortunately I do believe people 'police' to gain a powerful position and seek to abuse that position because of individual personality traits.
Tony, England

I live with a white police officer and I am very conscious of the racist abuse that he gets day in, day out from people who try and play the race card every time they commit a crime. The whole of the world is institutionally racist - whether consciously or unconsciously. It's about time that the police stopped allowing criminals (whether white, black, Asian or whatever race) to dictate the way the police force is run.
Rebecca, UK

Controlling people's thoughts will never ever work.
Tom, England

It's proven fact that institutional racism does exist in the police force. There should be zero tolerance of such behaviour. We need to find quick and effective methods of investigating racist accusations and not let situations sit at red tape or let them drag on, where the victim feels that no justice has been done.
Sharon, UK

Given 94% of the 258 complaints made were found to be insubstantial; it would appear that perhaps the problem isn't racism, but our exaggerated perception of racism?
Graeme Phillips, Germany, normally UK

As soon as somebody feels maligned they shout racism Nick, UK

Each case needs to be looked at individually. As soon as somebody feels maligned in any way they shout racism. Carry on like this and nobody in their right mind will become a police officer, teacher, social worker...
Nick, UK

Since the likelihood of any complaint (racist or otherwise) against a police officer being upheld is negligible, any penalties are only of academic interest. Once again the Police Complaints Authority shows that it is more concerned with protecting corrupt and criminal police officers from the consequences of their actions.
Paul, England

When the law says that an incident is 'racist' if the victim thinks it was, then it's clearly wrong to impose such a draconian penalty on every officer involved in such an incident. It's too easy for a criminal to accuse the police of racism and ruin someone's career, whilst they pick up a nice few thousand in compensation. The police should be protected, not vilified.
Laura, UK