Scotland Yard was branded institutionally racist by the Macpherson inquiry 13 years ago. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA
The police watchdog has announced a review into mounting complaints about racism in the Metropolitan police, warning that they probably suggest a "much wider disaffection and dissatisfaction" with the force.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission also launched two new investigations into alleged racist abuse by Met officers and said it would "increase its level of scrutiny" of how Scotland Yard handles complaints about discrimination.
Senior officials at the IPCC are known to be concerned that the Met may have failed to shake its problem with racism 13 years after it was branded institutionally racist by the Macpherson inquiry set up following the death of Stephen Lawrence.
The IPCC said it now has five ongoing investigations into alleged racism at the Met. Six others are being dealt with by the force internally, mainly because the investigations are almost complete.
The watchdog said its new review would sample old and ongoing complaints about racism to assess whether the Met was dealing appropriately with reports of discrimination.
All future complaints about alleged racism by Met officers will bypass the force's internal complaints system and be handled by the IPCC, which said this would allow it "to undertake a thematic review of those cases to identify any trends and learning for the police", which would then be published.
The latest controversy over racism in the Met began two weeks ago when the Guardian published a recording in which a constable, Alex MacFarlane, was captured racially abusing a 21-year-old black suspect, Mauro Demetrio.
Three days later the Guardian revealed that officers accused of abusing or assaulting Demetrio in the back of a police van also allegedly assaulted a 15-year-old black teenager, Terelle Ferguson, on the same night.
The Crown Prosecution Service initially advised against bringing charges against the Newham police officers. Senior lawyers at the CPS are urgently reviewing the cases.
Subsequently it emerged that three other police officers working in Newham, including an acting sergeant, had been place on restricted duties over allegations they made racist comments.
A week ago the Met commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe,
urged his staff to report inappropriate behaviour by colleagues, saying: "I will not stand for any racism or racists." His deputy, Craig Mackey, conducted a review of complaints involving alleged racism and decided to refer seven new cases to the IPCC.
IPCC commissioner Mike Franklin assessed these new referrals from the Met and decided that one, involving a member of the public who said they were racially abused by a police officer in Camden, would be independently investigated by his team. He was content for the other six cases to be handled by the Met's internal complaints process.
He said: "Responsibility for tackling racism in the police and for most complaints about racism by police officers rests squarely with the police, who must demonstrate that they are not being passive and are taking action to root it out. However, in view of these referrals, the IPCC is increasing its level of scrutiny over these cases.
"Equally, the police must not hide behind statistics and must recognise that actual recorded allegations of racism are probably an indication of much wider disaffection and dissatisfaction. We know, for example, that young black men who are the most likely to be stopped and searched are also the least likely to use the formal complaints system."
He added: "At the heart of people's concerns are issues of fairness and respect. The British policing model, which relies on policing by consent, simply cannot deliver a professional service if sections of the population perceive it to be unfair and discriminatory."
The IPCC will also investigate a fourth case involving alleged racism by police in Newham which was not included in the initial batch of referrals. The complainant, who claims to have been racially abused and assaulted in Forest Gate police station last September, only came forward last week.
There are now 11 separate cases of alleged Met racism under investigation. They involve 20 police officers – of whom eight have been suspended – and one civilian staff member. A further five officers have been placed on restricted duties. Seven of the officers under investigation are based in Newham.
Franklin added: "We know that allegations of racism are often difficult to prove as in many cases they are a complainant's word against an officer or officers, but that does not necessarily mean it did not happen.
"There needs to an understanding of the complainant's perception of what has happened to them, which is often a product of their experience. The police must see all complaints as evidence of a potential problem, and address the systemic issues underlying the complaints they receive. This must involve an examination of culture, training, supervision and leadership."
Hogan-Howe will appear before parliament's home affairs select committee on Tuesday to be cross-examined by MPs about the growing race scandal. The Met chief has taken a tough public stance since the scandal broke; on Friday he said: "Racists will find me an implacable enemy. We will get rid of them, we will drive them out of the Met."
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