New book to mark 10th anniversary of Lawrence Report
Thursday, 5 Feb 2009
24th February 2009 marks the 10th anniversary ofthe publication of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. The report by Sir William Macpherson followed a public inquiry into the Metropolitan Police Service's investigation of the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993. The Inquiry delivered a damning assessment of the "professional incompetence, institutional racism and failure of leadership" that marred the murder investigation. The inquiry's seventy recommendations have had significant implications both for the Metropolitan Police Service and policing generally.
To mark this anniversary, Willan Publishing have published a new book, Policing and the Legacy of Lawrence, edited by Nathan Hall, John Grieve and Stephen P.Savage. This book examines various dimensions of the impact of Lawrence on policing policy and practice in Britain over the last 10 years. Itidentifies a series of dimensions and processes associated with British policing, in terms of the role that the Lawrence agenda has had on forming and/or shaping policy and practice in that particular area.
Through its analysis this book assesses the extent to which the original recommendations and issues raised within the Lawrence Inquiry have been reflected in policy, practice and, importantly policing outcomes in service delivery.
This book is edited by Nathan Hall who is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology andPolicing at the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth.Nathan has written extensively on hate crime, policing and racism, including Policing Racist Hate Crime in London: Policy, Practice and Experience after the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (Research report for the Metropolitan Police Service, 2002); John Grieve, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth,Professor Emeritus at London Metropolitan University, and formerly Director ofIntelligence, and Director of the Racial and Violent Crime Task Force, Metropolitan Police Service and Stephen P. Savage, Professor of Criminology and Director of the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth.
The book integrates practitioner and academic reflection on the impact of Lawrence and includescontributions from some of the key policing figures who were involved inpost-Lawrence implementation and development programmes. The foreword to thisbook is written by the mother of Stephen Lawrence, Doreen Lawrence OBE.
