POLICE chiefs have said the online abuse directed at Abimbola Johnson, the Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board chairwoman is “unacceptable” after saying the Police had to do better to address concerns.
After condemning the force’s efforts to combat discrimination, Johnson has said that she was subjected to a torrent of online abuse.
She was called a “grifter” and “race baiter” on social media after she posted her annual report online.
“Abi’s work is fundamental in supporting us to become an anti-racist police service to better support the communities we serve,” the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Johnson, who is a barrister, claimed her page on X and the ISOB X account had both been subjected to “a lot of backlash”, she the Mirror newspaper.
Most of it originated from accounts that purport to be connected to the police, it was claimed in the report.
“Even if they’re not, it still creates the impression that when you speak about racism, there’s a backlash from anything that’s police associated. All of that is completely predictable,” she said.
The new Police Race Action Plan is struggling to make meaningful progress, according to the ISOB’s annual report, as it is being directed by police officers rather than full-time, anti-racist professionals with knowledge of policy, strong community ties, and lived experiences, she outlined in her report.
Speaking about police racism, she added: “It’s a problem that exists here. The effects of the things that we see and the things that our communities experience in the hands of police [anywhere in the world] continue to make that relevant to us. Unless the police very publicly, very swiftly do something about this issue, we are going to keep going around in circles of trauma around matters.”
Johnson also voiced concern with the College of Policing because, more than a week after the report’s publication, it has still not released a public comment, reacting to it.
The College of Policing and the NPCC jointly prepared the racial action plan.
NPCC vice-chairwoman Chief Constable Rachel Swann said she welcomed the recommendations in the ISOB report.
“We cannot underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead but we continue to work collaboratively and in new ways to achieve the action of the plan,” she said.
“Gaining the trust and confidence of all our communities is in the best interest of policing, the best interest of the communities we serve, and those who give service as officers, staff and volunteers.”
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