Create an independent investigatory commission to help protect ethnic minorities
The Parliament petitions site records 16,690 signatures for this petition, which closed on 10 December 2020. The Government responded on 30 July 2020.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Create an independent investigatory commission to help protect ethnic minorities
We need the UK government to create an independent investigation commission to investigate cases involving the death, maltreatment & discrimination of people of colour and ethnic minorities. To hold Anybody accountable for their action be that the police, government or members of the public.
Systematic racism needs systematic Solutions. The UK government needs to put tangible measures in place to protect, people of colour and ethnic minorities in the UK. We need to put a stop to systematic racism within our country. There need to be independent investigators who can protect people of colour and ethnic minorities by looking into cases & reports of unfair treatment & make sure they are treated fairly instead of becoming victims to racial profiling & discrimination. If discrimination is involved action should be taken against the people involved.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 30 July 2020; the petitions site lists the Ministry of Justice as responsible. Its summary:
The Prime Minister has announced a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities that will seek to understand what disparities exist and why, and present recommendations based on robust evidence.
The opening 355 words of the 495-word response:
The Government is committed to tackling prejudice, racism and discrimination - and to improve the quality of data and evidence about the types of barriers faced by people from different backgrounds to help drive effective and lasting change.
On 16 July 2020 the Prime Minister announced a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, chaired by Dr Tony Sewell (CBE). This is a cross-government Commission that will review inequality in the UK, across the whole population. The Commission’s work will touch upon many areas of public policy. It will make recommendations for action across Government, public bodies and the private sector, and will inform a national conversation about race, led by the evidence. The aim of the Commission is to set out a new, positive agenda for change - balancing the needs of individuals, communities and society, maximising opportunities and ensuring fairness for all.
In addition, the Government’s Race Disparity Unit (RDU) is already working across departments and their agencies to identify and address variances in outcomes across education, healthcare, criminal justice and the economy. The RDU works across Whitehall and with local authorities to coproduce interventions to address these disparities.
This includes work to build trust between communities and the police forces that serve them, and working with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the National Police Chiefs Council, Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve recording and monitoring of Hate Crimes.
On 30 October 2017, the Government also published the Independent Review of Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody carried out by Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC, and its response to the report. Every death in police custody is a tragedy and this is a priority area for the Government. Good progress has been made in addressing Dame Elish’s recommendations, although there is more to be done. The Government is committed to delivering meaningful and lasting change in response. The Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody will continue to oversee and drive progress on this work programme. Preventing deaths in custody and families’ experiences will remain at the centre of the changes we plan to deliver.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions.json?state=with_response&page=24UK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
1352993ec409eb93… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
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