Month: October 2025

by Dr Clare Torrible, University of Bristol Law School

On 1st October 2025, BBC Panorama revealed appalling misogyny and racism among officers at Charing Cross police station, alongside several examples of officers revelling in the use of unlawful excessive force. Despite this signalling a clear failure on the part of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police (MPS), Sir Mark Rowley, to meaningfully address similar findings in the same station by the Independent Office of Police Conduct  (IOPC) in 2022, he remains in post. This is problematic. As discussed below, the clear and catastrophic management failure made evident by the Panorama programme is symptomatic of deeper issues with Sir Mark’s leadership which, in the absence of radical change, make his continued service as Commissioner unsustainable.

It is well documented that the 2023 Casey Review into the Standards of Behaviour and Internal Culture of the MPS found it to be institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic. Further in line with the more recent revelations concerning Charing Cross, the Casey Review also detailed instances of officers being trained and encouraged to use extreme excessive unlawful force. However, while Sir Mark accepted the findings of the Casey Review and committed to addressing them, he has repeatedly refused to accede to the label ‘institutional’ in relation to them. (more…)

by Dr Olena Chub, Visiting Associate Professor at University of Bristol Law School; Researchers at Risk Fellowship awardee, British Academy, Council for At-Risk Academics, and Prof Devyani Prabhat, University of Bristol Law School.

This blog outlines policy recommendations produced following a workshop at the University of Bristol in July 2025. A concise policy brief is available under Policy Bristol at: Secure Status for Ukrainian Displaced Persons in the UK and EU | PolicyBristol. The discussion below presents an extended argumentation for the key recommendations.

Introduction

NGOs, legal advice groups, law academics, and lawyers who work with migrant communities and specifically Ukrainians displaced because of the war in Ukraine to the UK and the EU (Poland, Czechia, Germany) have collaborated in gathering best practice and evidence on how to support displaced Ukrainians. The recommendations introduced below are based on a University of Bristol Law School workshop (July 2025) organised by co-investigators on the British Academy/Cara/Leverhulme funded project: Dr Olena Chub (Visiting Associate Professor, University of Bristol Law School; Researchers at Risk Fellowship awardee, British Academy, Council for At-Risk Academics); and Prof Devyani Prabhat (University of Bristol Law School). The event was held following the Chatham House Rule, and only participants wishing to be named are named here. (more…)