We are Better Together - Newsletter October 2022

Troy Harrison is a third-year journalism student at the University of Gloucestershire.

Originally from Halesowen, his interest in comic books was a gateway to writing stories about his community. From the age of six, he found his talent in writing stories, now, at 21, it has matured into writing for different platforms while studying for his degree. Here he shares his recent experiences meeting police officers during a media exercise at the university.

My experience when spending the day with Gloucestershire’s police officers was not what I expected. Growing up as a young black male in the United Kingdom you have very different perceptions of the police. I was raised to be mindful of my actions and observe caution when interacting with the police.

I reflect back to incidents involving my older brother when he would be stopped and searched regularly when picking me up from primary school. I recall a similar incident happening to my mother - unfortunately, she was involved in a road traffic accident with her car and called the police. However, instead of supporting her, the police told her to get out of her car and go into the back of a police van, all because they thought (and I quote) “she was going to overpower a young officer”.

These personal experiences were put into perspective following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, as injustice was no longer something that people who looked like me could tolerate. I quickly realised that the authorities who were supposed to protect everyone in the community were in actual fact seen as intimidating to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. Being a victim of unnecessary stop and search, I made a conscious decision to not wear hooded clothing because there is almost an unconscious guilt when walking past a police officer - you haven’t done anything wrong, but all of the bad experiences outweigh the good ones.

Therefore, when my journalism lecturers revealed that we were going to be working with Gloucestershire Constabulary, a cold shiver went down my spine. I always thought if I stayed out of the police’s way and kept my head down I would be fine, now I had no choice but to spend the whole day with a group of officers.

However, when I finally met the officers and briefed each of them on the day, the officers made it clear that they could trust me with their space, and I felt I could trust them with mine. Each officer asked me about my university course to break the ice, but the real benefit of interacting with the officers was that they listened to me and respected what I had to say. They made me feel welcome, and the anxiety that I was holding onto was quickly being proved wrong.

This particular group of officers were a shining example representing Gloucestershire Constabulary. They made everyone on the course feel welcome, but I think there is still work to be done when it comes to the police force and engaging with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

The police should visit more schools around the Cheltenham and Gloucester area, starting conversations with young minorities about how they want to interact with the police. The police should support minority-owned businesses, giving them a chance to explain how they could enrich the community. Finally, social media could be a great way to talk to different organisations about different minorities and their relationships with the police.

The officers I met broke the stigma, but that doesn’t change the fact that black people are seven times more likely to be subjected to a stop and search in the UK. The Gloucestershire officers showed me that the police could be for everyone… but instances like the shooting of Chris Kaba are bleak reminders that there’s still a long way to go.