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Interview with Stafford Scott

Louise Whittle
21st September 2011 at 23:58
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I interviewed Tottenham activist, Stafford Scott for Labour Briefing about the riots in Tottenham.

  1. There has been an increase in overall stop and search by the police how much do you think that has contributed to how people reacted after the death of Mark Duggan?

I think that Stop & Search remains as one of the most contentious procedures used by the police. The figures haven’t really gone down since I was a youth and I am now 51. I had hoped that the requirement placed on the police by the MacPherson Inquiry that police had to issue a record of the stop to the person being stopped would have seen the stats decrease. But, the stats have remained high as the police claim that using Stop & Search will result in a reduction. In the carrying of weapons and knife crime. It hasn’t! So it is clear that the police are not using intelligence led tactics when stopping people. Added to this it’s the same people that are being stopped over and over, it is therefore inevitable that it will lead to increased tensions and a mistrust of the police in general.

2. After the death of Mark Duggan the police do not seem to have put themselves out to explain their actions or to ensure steps were taken to ensure accountability. Is this a one off or part of a pattern?

We have done a lot to improve relationships with the local police since the eighties.Generally they are more responsive than they have been in relation to the killing of Mark Duggan. I think this is for two main reasons. The first is the involvement of the IPCC, even now they are disagreeing about which organisation had overall responsibility for contacting the family. Secondly, the senior hierarchy at Tottenham were found wanting. The Borough Commander went on holiday the day after the Mark Duggan was shot, I find this to be unbelievable especially given Tottenham’s recent history.

The lack of leadership shown by the local police in the absence of the Borough Commander contributed to outbreak of rioting, firstly the failure to inform Mark Duggans parents of his death and secondly the youths became emboldened by the lack of a response from the police to the initial small scale outbreaks of violence that proceeded the eventual rioting.

3. What is your view of the role of the Independent Police Complaints
Commission?

As I sit on the community reference group that has oversight of the IPCC investigation I’d prefer not to answer that at this point

4. Do you think that the sentencing and denial of bail to people arrested has something of the witch-hunt about it? Are there parallels with the 1980’s?

Clearly the sentences being handed down by the courts are part of the establishments knee jerk reaction to something that has taken them by surprise. It is clear that those arrested in relation to these riots are being treated differently, more harshly even than those arrested in the student riots. This shows that the establishment has developed collective amnesia, forgetting the
lessons learnt from the eighties. 

The idea that society should be tough on crime AND tough on the causes of crime seems to have been discarded.  But revenge is not justice, these sentences will only reaffirm to those who already feel marginalised, that they are indeed treated differently! It will only harden attitudes and eventually we will see this erupt on the streets of the UK as a consequence.

5. What political changes have been taking place in Tottenham since the death of Mark Duggan? Are people thinking about things differently and/or starting to organise at all?

Locally we have set up a Defence Campaign with the help and support of Newham Monitoring Project.  We are gearing up for the raids that we all know are coming. We want to ensure that those arrested are given proper legal advice in the first instance. And, those who are charged receive a fair hearing and treated fairly. We will be monitoring what happens in police station and in courts. We are concerned that in the current climate those charged will receive the kind of punitive sentences that we have seen elsewhere.

So as a Defence Campaign we will not only demand justice for those being brought before the courts we will also campaign to create an environment where achieving justice is possible.

Tags: deaths in custody (1) | mark duggan (1) | tottenham (1)

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