Stephen Lawrence day, which is observed annually on April 22nd, is a momentous day to remember Stephen Lawrence, an 18-year-old, who was killed in a racially motivated attack. This painful history spurred on major legislative and policy developments including, the formation of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as a result of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, led by Sir William Macpherson. Transparency, and reflective conduct is principle to a trusting society, one that is willing to report crime and antisocial behaviour, to prevent a sense of ‘reporting fatigue’. The inquiry into the police investigation of Stephen Lawrence’s murder and the broader issues of minority ethnic communities’ trust in policing, was one of the pivotal moments in the recent history of the police service in England and Wales. It allowed a brief and fleeting opening of a window of opportunity in regards to the investigation many of the recommendations were sadly not implemented and the lessons were quickly forgotten.
In a research document analysing the impact of the Stephen Lawrence it was found that police officers of almost all ranks overwhelmingly believed that the services provided by the police had improves in years since the inquiry, 72% felt the impact of the inquiry had been positive.[1] The effective subsequent inquiry into the acceptance of institutional racism, was found to have set the scene for subsequent legislation and policy such as the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000. The impacts, large and miniscule, all feature towards understanding victims, encouraging trust as much as possible in the institutions we give authority to police and safeguard us. Independent Advisory Groups (IAGS), are one option found by research and notably, the College of Policing, to be remedy to the challenges in our communities, with some IAGs mentioning a lineage tracing back to the Inquiry, and its ultimate recommendation of the need to increase trust and confidence in policing amongst minority ethnic communities.[3] This however does not pain the whole picture, as many other issues surrounding community cohesion such as knife crime, stop and search and school exclusion had escalate, and therefore does not signal a significant change following the inquiry.
These are but just one option, along with all the other recommendations made from the inquiry that can help build trust, and understand the implications or effect of policies and actions on different communities within the force area.[4] We must restore trust in institutions, and inquiries following this tragedies such as this, are instrumental in helping to restore trust, even if by a little. In undertaking this, we can hopefully help combat the severe underreporting, of not only hate crime, but also principally, antisocial behaviour.[5]
Many of us will vividly remember the murder of Stephen Lawrence at a bus stop in southeast London one evening, after returning from shopping in the West End, thirty-two years ago.
The first Stephen Lawrence Day was April 22nd, 2019, coordinated by the Stephen Lawrence Foundation that oversees this day of commemoration. The Foundation has worked tirelessly over the years in classrooms and communities, helping to break down barriers and give marginalised young people access to good careers.
Stephen Lawrence Day, however, is about more than commemorating Stephen’s death; at the 20th anniversary memorial in 2013, Stephen’s mother, Baroness Lawrence, spoke of a just society, hope, confidence, inspiration, and coming together to build a brighter future.
At the time of writing, the Metropolitan Police has announced that it is withdrawing 371 safer school officers for redeployment to neighbourhood teams. Headteachers were not consulted, and one school leader in East London referred to the decision as being “very misguided.”
A day earlier, the Ministry of Justice announced that last year, a quarter of convictions and cautions for knife crime in London were given to boys aged between 10-17. According to the Office for National Statistics, in the year ending September 2024, knife crime across the capital peaked, with 16,521 offences the highest amount on record and an 18% increase from the previous year. The West Midlands has the highest rate of knife crime nationally.
Knife crime was one factor in Stephen's murder, a murder said to have ‘changed a nation.’ One such change was an amendment to legislation that would provide public bodies with a definition of a racist incident that was informed by the perception of ‘the victim or any other person.’ A definition intended to encourage reporting and help ensure incidents were recorded and investigated in a proportionate manner, and by doing so, help restore levels of trust and confidence in Black and other minoritised communities.
This definition migrated to The Equality Act 2010, legislation that combined existing equalities law, incorporating the learning from the Lawrence Inquiry, The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)is s129 of the Equality Act and places a statutory responsibility on Public Bodies in England and Wales to demonstrate ‘due regard’ to equality in all of its functions. The Duty has three simple objectives-
a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010;
b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it;
c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
All three objectives can be easily met by commemorating Stephen Lawrence Day through events such as comms strategies, community engagement, or initiatives to assist staff development.
Yet the platform for addressing these issues should not be limited to one day or a single platform but should be ongoing and embedded across services as per the requirements of the PSED. Additionally, the range of concern is not limited to Black boys or men; they also affect faith and disabled groups and LGBTQ+ communities with equal degrees of urgency.
Home Office data has, for the past two years, demonstrated a 5% reduction in reported hate crime, a phenomenon some thinkers in the sector attribute to a rise in ‘reporting fatigue’ across the country and not a decline in levels of ‘hostility and prejudice.’
Stephen was a good student and athlete with ambitions of becoming an architect and a love of hip-hop music. Stephen had lived before he died, and this day should celebrate that life and the vision and ambition that helped define it.
The answers to some of the big questions posed by Stephen’s murder thirty years ago must come from the communities most affected, starting with conversations in playgrounds, workplaces, and in homes at dinner tables.
Resolve offers its members a valuable opportunity to comply with the Regulator for Social Housing’s Neighbourhood and Community Standard (1st April 2024) by helping landlords develop and implement stand-alone hate crime policies and procedures.
The offer includes ongoing support with case management, queries, or other elements such as tenant consultation, community engagement, or developing online copy or content.
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[1] Foster, J., Newburn, T. and Souhami, A. (2005) Assessing the impact of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. Available at: https://www.statewatch.org/media/documents/news/2005/oct/ho-stephen-lawrence.pdf.
[2] MURJI, K. (2010) ‘Applied Social Science? Academic Contributions to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and Their Consequences’, Journal of Social Policy, 39(3), pp. 343–357. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0047279409990687.
[3] Taser And Social, Ethnic and Racial Disparities research programme (2023). Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/security-crime-science/sites/security_crime_science/files/taserd_report_13_dec_2023.pdf.
[4] College of Policing / National Police Chiefs’ Council. (2020). Officer and Staff Safety Review: A review of the arrangements to secure the safety of police officers and police staff engaged in frontline policing. https://assets.college.police.uk/s3fs-public/2020- 09/CoP-NPCC-Officer-Staff-Safety-Review.pdf
[5] Making Communities Safer Results from the 2024 YouGov survey on ASB commissioned by Resolve (2024). Available at: https://www.resolveuk.org.uk/images/YouGov-24.pdf.
