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Film of children's racism stories shown to police

Lili Sheppard
BBC News, Bristol
CC Animation An animated screen grab from the video with a row of hands at the front of the image and two police officers questioning a woman in the backgroundCC Animation
The animated video was a collaboration between May Park Primary School pupils, UWE Bristol and Avon & Somerset Police

A short animated film based on children's experiences of racism is being used in police training.

Voiced by pupils at a Bristol primary school, the video looks at the impact of racism on 10 to 11 year olds.

The film is part of the University of the West of England (UWE) RESPECT project, where researchers have worked with more than 1,000 primary-age children to explore the everyday experiences of racism.

The aim is to show it to about 1,300 Avon and Somerset Police officers by May 2025.

Pupils at May Park Primary, in the Eastville area of Bristol, were interviewed for the film.

According to a UWE spokesperson, the project revealed a "broken relationship" between some young children and the police.

They said that some pupils said they hope officers will treat everyone equally and not differently "because they're not white".

Concerns about the behaviour and attitudes of some officers were a common theme in the video - with some children saying that officers actually make them feel "less safe" but that they "want to trust the police" more.

One pupil added: "We're all humans, it doesn't make a difference just because of our skin, culture or religion."

Freia Turland Pupils at May Park Primary and adults involved in the making of the UWE video face the camera in a group shot while holding a laptop showing the animation on Freia Turland
Pupils at May Park Primary School said they were "proud" to have been involved in making the film

The video is being used in the Race Matters training schedule at Avon and Somerset Police and is also part of the curriculum for students on the professional policing course at UWE.

'Feeling over-policed'

PC Ryan Day, Inclusion and diversity officer at Avon and Somerset Police, said it was "sad" that "so many children from global majority backgrounds don't trust the police".

He added that it stems from decades of some communities feeling "over-policed and under-protected".

PC Day says in recent years, the force has been taking "practical steps to combat racism" to support their ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation.

When talking about the animation, he said the words of a young person means "much more" to officers and humans than "any training could give them".

By May 2025, more than 1,300 officers are expected to have received the training.

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