Green Party NI MLA for North Down Rachel Woods has commented on new figures reported in The Detail which show that a disproportionate number of people from BME communities have been issued Covid fines by the PSNI.
Rachel Woods MLA, who sits on Stormont’s Justice Committee, said: “Throughout the pandemic, people from ethnic minority communities have been issued Covid fines and Covid-related community resolution notices on a disproportionate basis. It’s especially worrying that this trend has risen compared to last year, which requires explanation.
“In 2020, the Police Ombudsman found that the PSNI had acted unfairly when numerous fines were issued to Black Lives Matters protestors. The PSNI’s subsequent apology was welcome, but much more work needs to be done.
"This comes on top of stop-and-search powers being disproportionately used against people from ethnic minorities. The PSNI has a lot of work to do to build trust with BME communities in Northern Ireland and I know the Chief Constable has committed to work on this. Everyone in Northern Ireland should have confidence in the police to act fairly and take active steps to address systemic racism."
ENDS
Media contact: Jack O'Dwyer-Henry (07504410770)
Note: The Detail article is available here: https://thedetail.tv/articles/covid-disproportionate-number-of-bme-people-fined-in-ni