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The police carry out systematic discriminatory checks according to a new report. “The rule of law must apply to everyone when the police check,” says the human rights organization Civil Rights Defenders in a comment.
People with roots in Africa and West Asia run a clearly higher risk of being falsely suspected of drug possession than people with roots in the Nordics, shows a study from the Crime Prevention Council (Brå).
“We cannot accept a society where legal certainty only applies to certain groups,” says Aida Samani, lawyer at Civil Rights Defenders, in a press release.
In the report, Brå states that the accuracy of checks based on suspicion of drug offenses is lowest when police officers have initiated the suspicion, compared to security guards or prison guards.
At the same time, there are few opportunities for those who are discriminated against to pursue their case. Discriminatory actions by the police are not currently covered by the Discrimination Act.
“The police need to introduce a system where those who are body searched can receive a digital receipt,” says Aida Samani.