MANCHESTER MAYOR Andy Burnham has vowed to demand changes to tackle how joint enterprise law disproportionately targets Black people.

Speaking exclusively to The Voice, the Mayor of Greater Manchester said that he will ask chief constable Stephen Watson to present a framework that will reform current policy and provide assessments on the risk of discrimination against Black communities. 

His comments come after the case of the “Manchester 10” where a group of ten Black males from Moston were convicted for being a part of a violent conspiracy on 17 May 2022.

Four of the men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder at Manchester Crown Court.

Six others were found guilty of a separate offence of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.

No murder had actually taken place, but the prosecution argued with drill lyrics as part of their evidence that the defendants were part of a violent gang who had conspired to avenge their friend’s death. 

The sentencing sparked demonstrations in the northern city and the family and friends of the 10 men labelled the sentencing as racist. 

Community organisations in the north including Kids of Colour and JENGba have been campaigning against the racist implications surrounding the controversial law. 

Mr Burnham said: “There’s a clear perception based on pretty good foundations in parts of our society that joint enterprise has been used as a blunt instrument and has criminalised people or indeed imprisoned people who may not be totally blameless, but has had a disproportionate impact on the criminal justice system.”

The Manchester Mayor said that since GMP came out of special measures in October last year there had been improvements, but that joint enterprise had “corroded trust” among black communities. 

“If it is to be used [joint enterprise law] it needs to be in very narrow and clearly defined circumstances where there is a degree of public consensus about whereas at the moment there isn’t that and the issues that this creates, particularly in the Black community of unfairness,” he said. 

Mr Burnham has previously sought to tackle racial bias in the city when he commissioned the Achieving Race Equality Report. 

The 2021 report revealed that Black communities in Greater Manchester were facing stark inequalities in policing.

Black people were 5.3 times more likely to have been stopped and searched by police and they were also 5.7 times more likely to have had a taser used against them by officers than their white and Asian counterparts.

Police officers were also found to be more likely to refer to the physique of Black people when justifying a decision to use force against them.

Elizabeth Cameron, the chair of the Greater Manchester Race Equality panel, said the findings went beyond unconscious bias and “into the realms of racism” embedded in Greater Manchester’s police force.

“Probably every Black person from those communities has some form of video on their phone right now that they could show of community members who have been unfairly jostled by the police, aggressively treated,” she said.

The damning report prompted Stephen Watson to reject claims of institutional racism in the force, insisting that they “root and boot them out” when incidents occur. 

However, he accepted that this was the view of people the police served and they needed to be addressed head on.

Mr Burnham said he had never seen “evidence that this organisation [GMP] is inherently or institutionally racist,” but understood that communities may “feel there may be evidence that you’ve not seen because our experience with the police is different”. 

He previously announced intentions to boost the recruitment of more Black officers into the force to help stamp out racism. 

According to data from GMP, the number of police officers from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities had doubled from 4.5% to 9% between March 2014 and March 2021. 

The figures remain unsubstantiated at present, but it is reported that there have been improvements. 

However, Mr Burnham admitted the recruitment of more Black officers was only a “small part” of confronting claims on institutional racism. 

The former Labour MP for Leigh recently congratulated the first cohort of 30 young people who have graduated from the Operation Black Vote (OBV) Civic Leadership Programme. 

The first of its kind scheme was rolled out in February 2022 and supported by the Manchester Mayor to help get more Black youth into leadership roles addressing issues such as public life including education, local government, health, the voluntary sector, policing and the criminal justice system.

Mr Burnham said the scheme was in response to the lack of role models for Black communities in Greater Manchester and to deal with “racial inequalities” that stifle progression. 

He acknowledged that building trust was key for Black communities in the northern city and that policing and the criminal justice system presented the biggest struggles, and the “casual linkage with gangs” through joint enterprise. 

He added: “I have talked a lot to the community and families and this is a much needed piece of work that I would hope would become a sort of a template for maybe how joint enterprise should be used nationally. Or, if it’s to be used [around the country], how it should be used. I think it’s really important to frame it that way as opposed to how it’s used, because it implies that it’s a thing that can be used and should be. I think it’s got to be used in the most exceptional circumstances as far as I can see.”

The Voice has approached Greater Manchester Police for comment.