Theresa May and Police Accountability

On 23 July I had the pleasure to accompany OBV director Simon Woolley as he introduced Home Secretary Theresa May on a forum for policing by consent. I was enthusiastic to attend the event because police brutality is a particularly passionate concern in the States right now, and I was interested to see that the Home Office for the UK was initiating a conversation of the same issue with OBV.

I had never been to Brixton before that day, and it was almost like a breath of fresh air. My university hosts us in the borough of South Kensington and Chelsea. We live in a fantastic area, but I do not feel as if I was seeing London.

To me Brixton was a significantly more genuine neighbourhood with touches of the Windrush generation and a break from the posh lifestyle. I wondered why May wanted to move from Parliament to the area just for a press release, but as I walked around the neighbourhood I painted a better picture in my mind, and was already impressed that she wanted to go so far out of her way to come to Brixton as opposed to have Brixton come to her.

The event itself was an intimate gathering of reporters, Secretary May’s staff, the families of those who faced police brutality, and various representatives from organisations such as the Equality and Human Rights Convention. I was immediately struck by the powerful words Simon Wooley gave upon meeting Nelson Mandela right in that very neighbourhood many years ago, and how he would have been proud to see that the UK was taking race driven issues seriously. He stated that there should be ‘trust on both sides’ and the Home Secretary nodded in agreement.

Afterwards May got up and delivered an eloquent speech on public confidence in the police, handling mental health victims in hospitals as opposed to prisons, and the mutual respect that has to be earned between the public and the police. I was very surprised to hear of these issues delivered, not because I thought Secretary May would not agree with these statements, but because I perceived Conservative beliefs to mirror US Conservatives and the cuts to these programs delivered by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

As the sister of Sean Rigg, a young man who died in police custody in 2008, said so well, ‘today is a good day.’ And it was. It was remarkable as an intern to see issues like this addressed, taken seriously, and to hear a politician of such power promise with confidence that she would propose legislation if changes were not made. After hearing and reading so many depressing headlines both in the UK and US it is so rewarding to see democracy and politicians at work, ready to make change and bettering the lives of countless people.

I was incredibly impressed with Theresa May. She carries the honour and determination of any accomplished woman in power. I will respect any woman who goes out of her way so much to accomplish manners with efficiency and strong channels of communication over prestige and hand holding. I have been incredibly impressed with OBV, the Home Office, and how together these issues can be better resolved.

Alexandra Fox