Met Police agrees to overhaul controversial Gangs Violence Matrix following legal challenge

The Metropolitan Police Service has agreed to overhaul its controversial Gangs Violence Matrix (GVM) after admitting that the operation of the database was ‘unlawful’.

Adam Straw KC and Tayyiba Bajwa were instructed by Lana Adamou at Liberty who challenged the legality of the Matrix on behalf of Awate Suleiman and UNJUST UK, a community interest company challenging injustice in the criminal justice system.

The legality of the Matrix was challenged on the grounds that it discriminates against Black people, who are disproportionately represented.

The Gangs Violence Matrix was developed in the aftermath of the 2011 London riots and is a tool used by the Metropolitan Police Service to identify and risk-assess the most harmful gang members in a Borough.

The latest review of the Matrix carried out by the Mayor's Office for Policing (MOPAC) showed that 80% of those named on the Matrix were Black. The Met have accepted that Black people are disproportionately represented, and that the Matrix ‘breached the right to a private and family life’.

The case was due to be held at the Royal Courts of Justice. However, the Met has agreed to an overhaul of the list, with more than a thousand names to be removed as a result of the legal action.

It has also agreed to inform people who ask if they are on the Matrix, who their data has been shared with and what that data was.

As stated by Liberty: “Personal data of those on the Matrix is shared broadly with third parties – putting them at risk of over-policing, school exclusion, eviction, and in some cases being stripped of welfare benefits, deportation or even children being taken into care.”

Lana Adamou, Lawyer at Liberty, said: “Having defended this claim for over a year, the Met has now admitted that the Gangs Matrix is unlawful – and that the way it operated breached the human rights of those who were placed on it.

“People have been added to this Matrix simply because of who their friends are, where they live, or because they have been a victim of crime. Once on the list, their data could be shared with third parties including the Home Office, local authorities, the DWP, housing providers, schools and the DVLA – leading to really serious and potentially life-changing consequences.

“As a result of this case, the majority of people have now been removed from the Matrix, and those people will be able to ask the Met what data was held about them. Many of those people won’t know that their data was held, so if you’ve been repeatedly stopped by the police, or have any reason to suspect that you might have been on the matrix, we would encourage you to submit a Subject Access Request to the Met to find out.”

Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “The GVM has been in use since 2012 and it has been an effective tool during that time, playing a part in results that have had a genuine impact on protecting the public.

“But we acknowledge that it does not have the full confidence of the public and that there have been improvements in statistical methods and technologies since its introduction. To keep pace with those changes and to ensure we maintain the trust of Londoners, the GVM needs to be redesigned."

He added: “The redesign will be achieved in collaboration with partners and community groups, informed by the most relevant and leading academic research.

“This work will take time but we are not waiting for it to be completed before taking action.

“Having reflected on MOPAC’s most recent review and on the continuing disproportionality that it highlighted, we have already removed more than 1,100 of the lowest risk individuals, representing 65 per cent of those on the GVM.”