SADIQ KHAN has reaffirmed his commitment to tackle the over-representation of young black Londoners in the criminal justice system. Mr Khan’s Youth Justice Action Plan aims to combat this disproportionality through training and scrutiny.

​It comes as figures reveal that young black people make up over half of the custody population, which is 58% of the average monthly youth custody population between 2018-19. This disproportionality represents a troubling disparity that undermines faith and confidence in policing ​and the wider criminal justice system.

Khan acknowledged that it continues to erode trust further between the police and the black communities in the capital.

The Youth Justice Action Plan reflect​s the conclusions drawn by Labour MP David Lammy’s review into the criminal justice system that ‘subjecting decision-making to scrutiny’ is the best way to deliver fair outcomes.

Actions include gathering data relating to ethnicity and age in charging decisions to identify and address disproportionality. Partners will work to develop an app for young people in police custody, explaining their rights, their options and what happens next in the justice process.

The Mayor​’s Office of Policing and Crime (MOPAC) will commission a specialist service to support young Londoners from ethnic minority backgrounds transitioning from the youth justice service to adult services.

Additional actions include joint working with the Children’s Society, Autism UK and The Royal Society of Speech and Language Therapists, and in consultation with young people, partners will produce new, accessible information packs for young people going into police custody to explain the process and tackle misconceptions.

The Youth Justice Action Plan will be implemented alongside the Mayor’s Action Plan which he published last year.

The Action Plan was developed in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and developed hand-in-hand with black Londoners, the Met Police and the Mayor.

It aims to improve trust and confidence in the Metropolitan police and to address community concerns about the disproportionality in the use of certain police powers affecting London’s black population.

The Mayor has since announced a £1.7m investment in community involvement in police officer training and in recruiting more black officers to the Met.

Speaking on his proposed plans, Mr Khan said: “It is crucial that all communities in London have trust and confidence in the criminal justice system. The over-representation of young Black Londoners in prisons, courtrooms and police stations only undermines faith and confidence in policing, and it’s something I’m determined to tackle.

“We must do more to properly recognise and address the impact that disproportionality within the criminal justice system is having on young Black Londoners. Training, scrutiny and joint working are key aspects of my Youth Justice Action Plan, which will work alongside my Action Plan.

“The Government has proven itself to be woefully inadequate when it comes to tackling racial injustice in the criminal justice system and beyond. They refused to fully implement the Lammy Review and their recent ‘race report’ purposefully turned a blind eye to the structural racism that exists within our society.

“In London, we pride ourselves as being a beacon of diversity, where a young boy from a council estate can go on to be mayor. I want every young Londoner to have the opportunities that our city gave to me, so I am committed to providing a fairer, more equal and more just criminal justice system, in which all of London’s communities feel they can trust.”