Forever Family and the problem with the Met’s selective policing

Until relatively recently I was under the impression that preventing people breaking the law was the primary job of a police officer. But is this always the case? Or is tackling crime sometimes substituted for a form of morality-based policing?

The protest for reparations in Brixton last Saturday – and the reaction of the police – is an excellent example of what morality policing looks like in practice. The event – a gathering of considerably more than 30 people in an apparent breach of the Health Protection (Coronavirus) regulations – was not, it would seem, authorised by the police. It was instead a planned protest with an arranged policing plan and conditions on attendance (including an 8pm curfew). As people gathered in Brixton, large numbers of police officers watched on, with little attempt made to enforce the law. Afterwards, police thanked protesters for a ‘largely peaceful’ event where only three arrests were made for affray, assault on an emergency service worker, and racially aggravated assault.