INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightPAImage caption
A report by Amnesty International found the Met Police's Gang Violence Matrix tracked a
disproportionate number of minorities
The data watchdog is investigating the Met Police's gangs database following
accusations it is "not fit for purpose".A report by Amnesty International found the force's Gang Violence Matrix was "racially
discriminatory" and breaches human rights law.The database, set up in the wake of the 2011 London Riots, holds information on about 3,800
persons of interest.The Met Police said the matrix helped "prevent young lives being lost".The report found the matrix tracked a
disproportionate number of minorities, as well as 1,500 people who police had assessed as posing no danger of committing violence.The
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) confirmed it was "in contact with the Metropolitan Police Service as part of an investigation into
their use of a gangs database".Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
The Met's Gang Violence Matrix was set up in
2012 in response to the London riots
Figures from July 2016 showed 78% of the people listed were black
Police figures show 27% of those prosecuted for youth violence are black.About 13% of London's population is black.The matrix uses various
intelligence including history of violent crime, entries on social media and information from bodies including local councils to identify
gang members.They are then given a score assessing the risk they posed
Around 40% of those on the list have a "harm score" of zero, the report found.Those with a zero score may be in custody and therefore not
Being on the matrix could affect access to housing, education and job centre services, the report claimed.Image copyrightMetropolitan
PoliceImage caption
The Met Police said the matrix was used "to reduce gang-related violence and prevent young lives
being lost"
The charity's UK director, Kate Allen, said: "There is clearly a huge problem with knife crime violence at the
moment in London, but the gangs matrix is not the answer
"The entire system is racially discriminatory, stigmatising young black men for the type of music they listen to or their social media
behaviour, and perpetuating racial bias with potential impacts in all sorts of areas of their lives.Individuals identified on the matrix are
offered support to divert them away from both offending and becoming a victim of violence, Scotland Yard said.The Met said it was working
with Tottenham MP David Lammy, Amnesty International and the ICO to "help understand the approach taken".It is understood that officers in
Nottingham, Manchester and Birmingham gather similar information on gang links.
