Chief admits Police Scotland is racist and sexist

The main constable of Police Scotland has admitted that the unit is institutionally racist, sexist, misogynistic and discriminatory.

Sir Iain Livingstone said prejudice and atrocious behaviour wrong the unit was "rightly of large concern".

He besides said that acknowledging the issues beryllium was captious for existent alteration to happen.

A reappraisal precocious uncovered first-hand accounts of racism and sexism by serving officers.

It besides heard astir cases wherever unit had been "punished" for raising concerns.

Sir Iain's connection is believed to beryllium the archetypal of its benignant by a constabulary main and comes amid ongoing contention astir policing civilization successful the UK.

But helium stressed that his admittance of organization favoritism did not mean that idiosyncratic officers and unit were racist oregon sexist and expressed pridefulness and assurance successful their work.

Speaking astatine a gathering of the Scottish Police Authority connected Thursday morning, Sir Iain said: "It is close for maine to intelligibly authorities that organization racism, sexism, misogyny and favoritism is simply a world for Police Scotland.

"Publicly acknowledging these issues beryllium institutionally is indispensable to our implicit committedness to championing equality and becoming an anti-racist service.

"Prejudice and atrocious behaviour wrong policing, arsenic highlighted by tribunal and behaviour cases, assorted autarkic reviews and by listening to our ain officers and unit implicit caller years, is rightly of large interest and is utterly condemned."

Sir Iain, who is to discontinue connected 10 August, admitted that radical from antithetic backgrounds oregon with antithetic requirements "don't ever get the work that is their right".

He said was besides existent for the force's ain officers and staff.

The main constable added that "identifying and removing deep-rooted barriers" was needed to tackle organization discrimination, a occupation which helium described arsenic being a "statement of reality" for Police Scotland.

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