Chinese Community and Policing

Chris Georgiou, researcher with Chinese Liberal Democrats attended an All Party Parliamentary Chinese in Britain Group meeting on 16 July on the launch of an important report of findings from a crime survey. Here is an account of his experience:

As it reached 6 o'clock, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association room in Westminster Hall was full of cameras and media representatives waiting to hear the findings of the report commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Chinese in Britain Group on 'Chinese Community and Policing'.

With over half a million Chinese people living in the UK, making it the 3^rd largest ethnic minority group in the UK. The APPG Chinese in Britain was formed specifically to deal with issues which are "rarely researched, documented, in addition to being underrepresented", according to Christine Lee, Chair of the British Chinese Project. The primary aim of this report is to have "a clearer idea of what is preventing the Chinese community integrating into British politics and society".

The Chair of the APPG, Barry Gardiner MP, ploughed through the main findings and recommendations of the report before taking questions. He painted a "mixed picture, both good and bad".

He mentioned amongst other things:

• Only 2% of Chinese speaking victims were strongly satisfied with the response from the police, compared with 82% who were fluent in English.
• His first key recommendation was to target the language barrier in the UK and to replicate successful translation services being offered in Northern Ireland and Liverpool.
• The Chinese Community's lack of confidence and mistrust of the Police, almost 50% said they did not trust the police.
• Requirement to normalise relations between the Police and the Chinese Community. Police should focus on their recruitment targets and have more Chinese at all levels.
• The problem with the Police not understanding Chinese people. There should be more information sharing schemes that highlight good practice within the Chinese Community.
• A need for an increase in funding for local Chinese Associations as they are the most effective organisations to deal with the most hard to reach Chinese.

An interesting question came from a member of the audience who introduced himself as a British-born Chinese with Chinese immigrant parents. He questioned the findings of the report that he saw as "victimising" the Chinese community. He continued that he found it "unacceptable" that Chinese immigrants could live in the UK for 20 - 30 years and not learn the English language. The onus must be on the Chinese to integrate "when living in someone else's country" he exclaimed.

Joseph Wu, Chief Executive of The British Chinese Project, countered that it was extremely difficult for people not born in this country to be able to access the network and contacts that allows greater political participation and integration into British society.

The Report also focussed on the effect of differing perceptions of and by the Chinese Community. And some of this sentiment was reflected in the conversation that flowed afterwards.

After the event, many of the attendees went for a traditional Chinese meal in Chinatown. Surrounding a circle of delicious dishes it was poignant to listen to the views. (Everyone else was Chinese). One lady talked about the theft of her daughter's iPhone and the police's ineffectiveness in dealing with it. While her daughter felt that the police didn't care because she was Chinese and felt discriminated against, her mother however did not think that that was the case.

I commented that I didn't believe this issue was necessarily unique to the Chinese community. Many of my friends, most of whom were white British had been mugged on the way home, sometimes with the threat of weapons. Those who did go to the Police had found their attempts futile. Perhaps not because they were white, black or Chinese, but because the police would often not bother about such small thefts; presumably in no small part due to the difficulty in finding concrete evidence as well as the assailants. The report mentioned the lack of confidence in the Police. But perhaps this was a general issue for the whole UK and not just one community.

Precisely in this vein the report had referred to the "lack of trust with the police service due to perceived bias". The report demanded greater representation in the police and for statistical reporting of the "number of Chinese at all levels" and that separating the "Chinese" ethnicity, from the category of "Other", in data collection, was a crucial starting point.

An equality spokesperson from the West Midlands Police said that the Metropolitan and West Midlands Police were currently undertaking a recruitment drive and would like to hear from the Chinese Community on this. However one of the two police officers (being a Hong Kong descendent) from the Chinatown Unit said that education was the key. "Chinese people do not see becoming a Policeman as a good or a well-paid job". As the report outlines, having more Chinese police officers in the force that understand the Chinese culture and are able to gain their trust is crucial. In addition, a system of "third party reporting" was highlighted as a successful tool for engaging the Chinese Community.

It was also mentioned that UK has some of the best race relations laws in the world, despite not being perfect. People are not allowed to be racist and race discrimination in the workplace would lead to dismissal as well as social blacklisting. It was pointed out that compared to many countries in the world the UK does a decent job of protecting its ethnic minorities, in comparison to southern and eastern European states where there is generally a less tolerant culture (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23319256). Not to mention the USA, Russia and as well as China.

Following a political event at Houses of Parliament including a tour of the Palace of Westminster, it seemed only fitting to continue the discussions over dinner. If the ultimate aim of the report is to integrate Chinese further into the community and to positions of authority, then they must become fully engaged in the debate and the discourse surrounding that. The division between citizen and state authority in the UK is not a fixed one. Just as Barrack Obama crossed the divide in the US, it is time for the UK Chinese Community to stand up and be counted.