Time to send police to anti-racism school?

Recruits joining the Malta Police force get briefed on a code of ethics, which includes a commitment against racial discrimination, and attend sessions on topics like human rights and hate crimes. But prospective officers do not undergo any mandatory anti-racist training to challenge prevailing cultural stereotypes as is now becoming the norm in other European countries.

And apart from a code of ethics, no specific policy exists on how to tackle and root out racism in the Maltese police force.

Last week, three police officers were arraigned in connection with two separate incidents, in which migrants were allegedly first abducted and beaten, and then abandoned in an uninhabited area. The charges of bodily harm and abduction are further aggravated by the abductors’ racial motives.

MaltaToday specifically asked whether the police force has any specific policy on how to tackle racism within the police force and whether there any plans to formulate such a policy. It also asked whether there is any mandatory training for police on topics like racial discrimination, racial profiling, racism, cultural stereotypes and anti-racism.

A spokesperson for the police force replied that training covered during recruitment stage, career progression courses and in-service training includes “sessions covering the Malta Police Code of Ethics” and address topics like “human rights, hate crime, policies, standard operating procedures, customer care, community policing and communication skills”. Practical sessions are also held with regard to control and restraint of individuals.

The police code of ethics includes two references to race issues, one of which stating that in the execution of their duty, “police officers shall not allow discrimination, based on sex, race, language, religion, education and belief, political attitudes, opinion, national or social origin, ethnic origin, disabilities, age, sexual orientation, personal and public position or possession of property” and another stating that police “shall refrain from prejudiced assessment of the witness, arising from sex, race, language, religion, education and belief, political attitudes, opinion, national or social origin, ethnic origin, disabilities, age, sexual orientation, personal and public position, possession of property, judicial records or associations”.

MaltaToday also asked the police force whether the police force has any policy barring anyone expressing racist views from joining the force.

A police spokesperson replied that whenever a person applies for a post with the Malta Police Force, apart from being requested to provide a criminal conduct certificate, “in-depth security checks through the Malta Police Central Intelligence & Analysis (CI&A) Unit are conducted on the individual applying, while checks on the individual are also performed on the Malta Police official reporting system.

Asked whether the force has any ongoing dialogue with ethnic communities living in Malta in view of Malta’s increasingly diverse population, the spokesperson replied that “community Police Officers are engaged in ongoing dialogue with different ethnic communities to strengthen the Malta Police Force’s relationship and assistance, in case needed”.

But Omar Rabbabah, a social worker and anti-racist activist, emphasised the importance of specialised training to combat racism, which he says goes beyond token and vague references in generic codes.

“It is pertinent to point out that police officers are also schooled in an education system in which, despite some progress in recent times, racism and anti-racism are not given sufficient importance.”

Rabbabah says the aim of an anti-racist education in the police force should be that “of challenging core beliefs” which are rooted in recruits before joining the force. “We should never forget that police are members of a society where attitudes towards ethnicity are conditioned by widespread misinformation and sheer hatred of foreigners.”

And while recognising the importance of the police code of ethics, Rabbabah sees the need for a more pro-active anti racist education in the police force which actively questions stereotypes.

Anti-racist policing in other countries

Over the past decade police forces in other European countries have embraced a greater commitment to combat racism, which goes beyond token references to race but also involves challenging stereotypes and familiarisation with topics like black history.

For example, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, the UK formulated a Police Race Action Plan to address the significantly lower levels of trust and confidence among the black community.

One of the measures enacted in the plan is the introduction of mandatory training for all police officers and staff about racism, anti-racism, black history and its connection to policing. Learning outcomes for training sessions include “a recognition on how a person’s personal values, beliefs and preference affect their attitudes and responses to situations”; and prospective officers are invited to explore their “own personal prejudices and discriminations”.

In Germany, Berlin and other states are including anti-racism modules in basic training, while Schleswig-Holstein has also adopted “multicultural competence” in basic police training.

France also vowed “zero tolerance” over police racism after George Floyd’s death in the United States helped shine a light on the issue in Europe and has introduced a mandatory course on how to combat racism.