On Wednesday 10 April, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published its first report on racism in policing across the EU, highlighting deep-seated structural problems that require urgent action.
This document is part of the EU Anti-racism Action Plan 2020-2025 and sets out how racism in policing contributes to social exclusion and undermines public confidence, exacerbating tensions between communities and authorities.
This report paints a worrying picture of the situation, based on data and consultations gathered between January 2022 and April 2023 in the 27 EU Member States. The study echoes the experiences of many minorities in Europe, with 58% of people of African descent surveyed perceiving their last police stop as being racially motivated, according to the FRA study ‘Being Black in the EU’ (see EUROPE 13280/28).
Despite this, the report notes a glaring lack of official data on racist incidents involving the police, with only a few Member States, including the Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands, sharing key information. Available statistics suggest a significant underestimation of the prevalence of police racism, with official figures considerably lower than suggested by surveys, other research and reports from civil society organisations.
Among the solutions proposed, FRA recommends stricter enforcement of national laws against racial and ethnic discrimination, the systematic collection of data on racist incidents, better protection for whistleblowers, and the introduction of independent monitoring and training to prevent racism.
The report also emphasises the need to increase diversity within the police force so that it better reflects the society it serves.
FRA is calling for coordinated action and a renewed commitment to eliminating racism in policing, which is essential to restoring trust, ensuring security and respecting the fundamental rights of all EU citizens.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/bqx (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)