Momentum Fades for England and Wales’ Police Race Action Plan
The race action plan developed in the wake of the global Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests—aimed at rooting out racial bias within policing in England and Wales—faces a crucial inflection point. With central funding set to expire in March 2026 and national oversight drawing to a close, the Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board (ISOB) is sounding the alarm: the plan risks being deprioritised and derailed just as it enters its most critical phase.
The ISOB, an independent monitoring body created to oversee the delivery of this landmark plan, has raised serious concerns in its final annual report. Its core warning? Local police forces are not ready to assume full ownership of anti-racism reform without external scrutiny or resources to ensure accountability.
Lack of Preparedness Raises Red Flags
ISOB: Forces Are “Not Ready” to Take Over
The plan, first launched in 2020 by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) under a Conservative government, was created in response to mounting pressure to address systemic racism in UK policing. Uniquely, it was self-initiated by the police service, rather than mandated by government.
Abimbola Johnson, chair of the ISOB, warned of the vacuum left behind once the national coordination team and ISOB step back next year. “There’s never been central government oversight of the programme,” she noted. “Without that, what’s going to be the impetus to continue to invest in this work?”
According to the ISOB’s 2025 report, the programme’s implementation is uneven and often misunderstood at the force level. Key components like goals, deliverables, and accountability standards remain unclear across many departments.
Dashboard for Transparency Delayed
“Maturity Matrix” Yet to Go Live
One of the most promising developments—the so-called “maturity matrix”—has yet to become operational. Designed by the College of Policing and the NPCC, the matrix is a first-of-its-kind public dashboard to track police progress on anti-racism metrics.
While the matrix has the potential to dramatically increase transparency, Johnson warns that its success depends heavily on proper training, access, and comprehension—not just by officers, but by communities and external watchdogs alike.
“It’s a very complex piece of work,” she said. “It requires more than building a tool—it demands cultural change, communication, and widespread capability-building.”
Persistent Issues: Stop and Search, Use of Force, and Ethnic Data Gaps
Discrimination Still Evident in Core Policing Powers
Despite some progress, longstanding racial disparities remain. The ISOB report highlights continued inequalities in:
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Stop and search practices
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Use of force by officers
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Employment outcomes for ethnic minority staff
Compounding these issues is a lack of robust ethnicity data. In many cases, poor collection standards make it difficult to monitor trends, evaluate outcomes, or even identify harm as it occurs.
The ISOB believes that without closing these data gaps, the police force cannot claim meaningful progress.
Inside the Forces: Mixed Signals on Reform
Some Leaders Acknowledge Racism, But Real Action Lags
Sarah Crew, Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, acknowledges the scale of the challenge:
“Acknowledging institutional racism is only the starting point. What matters is what we do next, and whether our actions match our intentions.”
That sentiment captures the broader challenge—intentions without infrastructure, and commitments without follow-through.
ISOB Calls for Direct Government Intervention
Home Office Urged to Step In and Lead
The ISOB has outlined a clear recommendation to the Home Office: don’t leave anti-racism reform to chance.
They are urging the department to:
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Develop a formal inspection framework to ensure compliance at local levels
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Address gaps in race and ethnicity data across policing operations
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Fund external expert-led scrutiny panels for continued accountability
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Ensure continued national support, coordination, and resourcing
Without these structures, the plan’s ambitions could fade into yet another cycle of forgotten reforms.
Progress Has Been Made—But It’s Fragile
Modest Gains Could Be Reversed Without Sustained Investment
Alison Heydari, the plan’s programme director and a temporary Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police, pointed to several achievements since the initiative began:
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25% increase in Black representation among officers
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Quadrupling of dismissals for discriminatory conduct
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Decreased racial disparity in the use of certain police powers
However, she admitted that these gains remain fragile. “More must be done, especially as local forces take greater ownership of the plan from next year,” she warned. “The police race action plan is a long-term commitment that policing must continue, which will benefit all the communities we serve.”
Government Responds: Vague Support, No Guarantees
Home Office Acknowledges Need, But Stops Short of Concrete Action
A Home Office spokesperson responded to the ISOB report with a familiar line:
“Racism has no place in policing and it is vital that forces reflect the diverse communities they serve. We support the aims of the police race action plan and are committed to working with police leaders to ensure necessary progress is made.”
But support without sustained resourcing or leadership won’t be enough, critics argue. Without a clear signal from the government that anti-racism will remain a core policing priority, there’s a real danger that forces—already overstretched—will let it slide down their agendas.
Can Policing Reform Survive Without Oversight?
The BLM-inspired race action plan stands at a crossroads. The ISOB’s warning is not just a bureaucratic concern—it’s a reckoning for whether the UK policing system can self-regulate and self-improve on race without external pressure.
As oversight ends and local forces prepare to shoulder responsibility, the question is clear: Will the plan survive as a living, evolving project—or become another forgotten policy brief gathering dust?
The answer will shape the future of trust between police and the communities they serve.