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Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union - Open Society ...

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UNITED KINGDOMBorder Agency Harm Scor<strong>in</strong>g MatrixThe work of <strong>the</strong> United K<strong>in</strong>gdom Borders Agency (UKBA) is governed by <strong>the</strong> EqualitiesAct 2010. The Enforcement and Removals Directorate of <strong>the</strong> UKBA is responsiblefor <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigation and removal of people who have no legal right to stay <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>UK. In order to prioritize <strong>the</strong>ir work and ensure that decisions are not based on race,ethnicity, or nationality, <strong>the</strong> UKBA uses a harm scor<strong>in</strong>g matrix to prioritize <strong>in</strong>vestigationsand enforcement. When agents receive <strong>in</strong>telligence about a possible breach ofimmigration rules, <strong>the</strong>y feed <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation <strong>in</strong>to a software system that scores <strong>the</strong><strong>in</strong>telligence. The system exam<strong>in</strong>es whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> person identified fits <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> priorityareas through a series of weighted questions such as:• Has <strong>the</strong> person breached <strong>the</strong> immigration rules?• Has he committed a crim<strong>in</strong>al offense?The system ranks immigration offenses and offenders, and those persons identifiedwith higher harm scores are prioritized for removal. It thus takes <strong>the</strong> discretion outof decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g and reduces <strong>the</strong> possibility of ethnic profil<strong>in</strong>g.General pr<strong>in</strong>ciples of good practice <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>telligence-based law enforcement:Judicial review and authorization should be required for <strong>the</strong> use of <strong>in</strong>trusive policepowers such as raids and surveillance. Review should assess <strong>the</strong> evidentiary basis,proportionality and necessity of <strong>the</strong> proposed action.Intelligence must be regularly reviewed and updated. Sensitive personal factorsshould only be used to direct law enforcement when <strong>the</strong>y form part of a reliable,specific, and up to date suspect description or <strong>in</strong>telligence profile.Intelligence should prioritize behavioral factors over ethnic or nationality-basedprofiles.Officers should be given clear guidance <strong>in</strong> us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>telligence <strong>in</strong> plann<strong>in</strong>g identitychecks and stops and searches.Officers should be given daily brief<strong>in</strong>gs to ensure <strong>the</strong>y have <strong>the</strong> most up to dateknowledge of available <strong>in</strong>telligence and local <strong>in</strong>formation on which to base <strong>the</strong>iractivities.Identity checks and stops and searches should be monitored through ga<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>gstatistical ethnic data to determ<strong>in</strong>e whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>se powers are disproportionatelytarget<strong>in</strong>g m<strong>in</strong>orities and whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>y are be<strong>in</strong>g used effectively.108 STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING ETHNIC DISPROPORTIONALITY

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