Macpherson report: what was it and what impact did it have?

How did it come about?

In July 1997, more than four years after Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a group of white youths, the then home secretary Jack Straw announced the establishment of an inquiry into his death.

It followed the dropping of charges against two youths, years of campaigning by the Lawrence family, the collapse of a private case by them and a subsequent announcement of an investigation into the case by the Police Complaints Authority.

What were the inquiry’s terms of reference?

Straw told parliament that it would “inquire into the matters arising from the death of Stephen Lawrence on 22 April 1993 to date, in order particularly to identify the lessons to be learned for the investigation and prosecution of racially motivated crimes”.

Who sat on it?

Sir William Macpherson, a retired high court judge and former soldier, was the chair. He was advised by Tom Cook, a retired deputy chief constable, Dr John Sentamu, the Bishop for Stepney, and Dr Richard Stone, the chair of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality.

What did they find?

A 350-page report concluded that the investigation into the killing had been “marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership”. Specific officers in the Metropolitan police were named and the entire force was criticised.

The report’s authors stated that the debate about policing and racism has been transformed by the inquiry, “and that the debate thus ignited must be carried forward”.

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What were its recommendations?

A total of 70 recommendations designed to show “zero tolerance” for racism in society were made. They included measures not just to transform the attitude of the police towards race relations and improve accountability but also to get the civil service, NHS, judiciary and other public bodies to respond and change.

What was their impact?

Some 67 of the report’s recommendations led to specific changes in practice or the law within two years of its publication. They included the introduction of detailed targets for the recruitment, retention and promotion of black and Asian officers, as well as the creation of the Independent Police Complaints Commission with the power to appoint its own investigators.

The abolition of the “double jeopardy rule” – which stated that people could not be tried for the same crime twice – eventually led to the 2012 conviction of Gary Dobson and David Norris for Lawrence’s murder.