Black Policing Charters

A Black Policing Charter turns community knowledge and collective priorities into a basis for sustained scrutiny. It can set out the standards communities expect, the evidence needed to assess them, the commitments made by responsible institutions and how progress will be reviewed and reported.

Each Charter is rooted in its local context. It reflects the area's history, experiences of policing, public-safety concerns, institutions and routes for democratic accountability.

Local Charters will differ, but the Policing Accountability Framework sets common safeguards for credible community-led scrutiny:

• a clear democratic mandate and local ownership;

• independence from the institutions being scrutinised;

• inclusive, accessible and trauma-informed participation;

• careful use of evidence, with fact, testimony, analysis and allegation treated distinctly;

• transparent governance, conflicts of interest and funding relationships;

• fair processes, including an opportunity for institutions to respond;

• regular public reporting and renewal of the community mandate.

Birmingham is the first place putting the APA's framework into practice. Charters in Cardiff, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth and Manchester are works in progress, and further local Charter pages will be added as communities begin their own locally led processes.

A Charter does not replace the courts, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, professional standards procedures or elected policing governance. It adds an independent community-led route for examining patterns, assessing institutional responses and requiring public answers.

It is not an individual complaints service and does not create legal enforcement powers. Its authority comes from a transparent community mandate, credible evidence and sustained public scrutiny.