November 8, 2025
’30 Patterns of Harm: A Structural Review of Systemic Racism Within the London Metropolitan Police Service’ tells all.
The Greater London police force, Metropolitan Police Service, has been repeatedly flagged for “systematic racism” in a new report, “30 Patterns of Harm: A Structural Review of Systemic Racism Within the London Metropolitan Police Service.”
The Met, the UK’s largest police department, was reviewed via an independent agency, which led to the release of the 125-page inquiry. Findings found that anti-Black bias is embedded in the force’s systems, culture, and operations. Commissioned by the Mark Rowley-led Met and authored by Shereen Daniels, the report sampled four decades of data that concluded racism had become “institutional design.”
In the report, Daniels, a lead investigator, states, “Systemic racism is not a matter of perception. For almost fifty years, reviews of the Metropolitan Police have documented the harm experienced by Black Londoners, officers, and staff. “30 Patterns of Harm” turns the lens around. It examines the institution itself, showing how the Met’s systems, leadership, governance, and culture produce racial harm while protecting the organization from reform.
The report indicates that discriminatory practices rooted in colorism is a norm within police ranks. Dark-skinned officers are frequently labelled “confrontational.” Conversely, lighter-skinned peers received quicker leniency — a disparity rooted in internal bias.
The 125-page report’s findings also gained scrutiny from the public ire. Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racially motivated attack in 1993, is letting his displeasure be known. He says Black citizens have been aware of the anti-Black nature of the Met.
“The police must stop telling us that change is coming whilst we continue to suffer,” Lawrence told the BBC.
The Metropolitan Police Service has taken full accountability for the findings.
Promising change on all levels the Met stated, “we will open meaningful discussions around a set of key themes, including accountability, structural change, equity, internal bias, and the use of police powers, to shape our next steps.”
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