Student Blog On Azelle Rodney: 20 Years On The Fight Continues Against Racism In British Policing
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30 April 2025
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Wednesday 30 April
By Aisha Begum and Kenya Lord
Doing a placement with INQUEST
From January to April a group of eight University of Westminster students undertook a 12 week placement organised by INQUEST and the Centre for Social Justice Research. It gave us all insight into the world of social justice and creating change, making us think differently about our future careers.
During our placement we learnt about the ways that INQUEST works and catalogued a donation to INQUEST’s archive from activist Joan Meredith. Now in her mid-90s, Joan was a friend of Pauline Campbell, the mother of Sarah Campbell who died in Styal prison in 2003. From her archive we learnt about the meticulous work involved in such important legal challenges and the dedication that these struggles take.
There’s no better example of this dedication than Susan Alexander, mother of Azelle Rodney who was killed 20 years ago today by the Metropolitan police. Learning about what happened to Azelle through INQUEST’s digital archive deeply saddened us – it highlighted how racism within the police continues to impact communities in devastating ways. Using the archive and meeting Lee Lawrence, whose mother Cherry Groce was shot by the police in 1985, motivated us to do our research project racism in British policing with a focus on Azelle Rodney.
Digital archive podcast
Racist Policing
Throughout history there have been continuous yet shifting patterns of racism within British policing that have sparked national protests and government inquiries and reviews. From the mishandling of cases like the murder of Stephen Lawrence to recent reports exposing racial disparities such as the police being more than six times more likely to strip search Black children, the issue remains deeply ingrained in the system.
In a time of increasing surveillance and decreasing rights, police usage of technology brings up new challenges of fighting against ‘automated racism,’ whereby discrimination is built into ‘predictive policing’ systems used across most of the UK’s police forces.
Despite promises of change, statistics and lived experiences continue to reveal a pattern of racial bias, violence and discrimination within the police force.
Azelle Rodney
Azelle Rodney, who would have just turned 44 if he were alive today, was killed by the Metropolitan Police 20 years ago today. On 30 April 2005 a police operation intended to arrest led to him being shot and killed, with police claiming that he was armed. It was later revealed that he had no weapon.
The inquest into Azelle Rodney’s death was initially delayed due to national security and legal challenges. However, the government decided a public inquiry was the most appropriate way to investigate the circumstances of Azelle’s death, and it was established in 2012.
The Metropolitan police officers who were involved engaged in an unjustified and unlawful fatal shooting during an operation in which they shot at him six times, despite them lacking any clear identification of threats. The subsequent failure to thoroughly investigate the incident and flawed procedural practices highlight systemic issues in accountability, transparency and adherence to human rights standards within British policing.
The overall system of policing failed Rodney, his family and the wider community. There was insufficient training, lack of accountability (it took seven years for an inquiry to take place), excessive force and systemic racial biases that led to the tragic outcome.
The scale of violence shown towards Black and Brown people by police evidences the undeniable racism that is rooted within the Criminal Justice System. Without actively confronting this reality, we cannot escape the cycle of violence against racialised communities, especially when we give the people within these systems power, weapons and the means to evade accountability.
Campaign Flyer
Recently, Susan has been working closely with INQUEST alongside organising with the United Families and Friends Campaign and creating beautiful artwork. We loved hearing more about Susan’s story in her interview for the Unlawful Killing podcast –Episode Five: Protest Banners.
In 2025 Susan said:
It's been 20 long and painful years since my son Azelle was killed by the Metropolitan police and I have often felt silenced. This podcast was the first time I heard my voice talking in this way about Azelle - it gave me the freedom to talk.
You can find out more about INQUEST's community impact and knowledge exchange projects with the Centre for Social Justice Research here.
Make a Donation
Every year, INQUEST supports hundreds of families bereaved by deaths involving the state. We are independent of government and entirely reliant on grants and donations to continue our vital work.
Support us and bereaved families in the fight for truth, justice and accountability by becoming a regular donor today.
Donate now
Subscribe to our newsletter
To receive the latest news from INQUEST straight into you inbox please subscribe. For examples of what you will receive, see our previous newsletters.
Student Blog On Azelle Rodney: 20 Years On The Fight Continues Against Racism In British Policing
Wednesday 30 April
By Aisha Begum and Kenya Lord
Doing a placement with INQUEST
From January to April a group of eight University of Westminster students undertook a 12 week placement organised by INQUEST and the Centre for Social Justice Research. It gave us all insight into the world of social justice and creating change, making us think differently about our future careers.
During our placement we learnt about the ways that INQUEST works and catalogued a donation to INQUEST’s archive from activist Joan Meredith. Now in her mid-90s, Joan was a friend of Pauline Campbell, the mother of Sarah Campbell who died in Styal prison in 2003. From her archive we learnt about the meticulous work involved in such important legal challenges and the dedication that these struggles take.
There’s no better example of this dedication than Susan Alexander, mother of Azelle Rodney who was killed 20 years ago today by the Metropolitan police. Learning about what happened to Azelle through INQUEST’s digital archive deeply saddened us – it highlighted how racism within the police continues to impact communities in devastating ways. Using the archive and meeting Lee Lawrence, whose mother Cherry Groce was shot by the police in 1985, motivated us to do our research project racism in British policing with a focus on Azelle Rodney.
Digital archive podcast
Racist Policing
Throughout history there have been continuous yet shifting patterns of racism within British policing that have sparked national protests and government inquiries and reviews. From the mishandling of cases like the murder of Stephen Lawrence to recent reports exposing racial disparities such as the police being more than six times more likely to strip search Black children, the issue remains deeply ingrained in the system.
In a time of increasing surveillance and decreasing rights, police usage of technology brings up new challenges of fighting against ‘automated racism,’ whereby discrimination is built into ‘predictive policing’ systems used across most of the UK’s police forces.
Despite promises of change, statistics and lived experiences continue to reveal a pattern of racial bias, violence and discrimination within the police force.
Azelle Rodney
Azelle Rodney, who would have just turned 44 if he were alive today, was killed by the Metropolitan Police 20 years ago today. On 30 April 2005 a police operation intended to arrest led to him being shot and killed, with police claiming that he was armed. It was later revealed that he had no weapon.
The inquest into Azelle Rodney’s death was initially delayed due to national security and legal challenges. However, the government decided a public inquiry was the most appropriate way to investigate the circumstances of Azelle’s death, and it was established in 2012.
The Metropolitan police officers who were involved engaged in an unjustified and unlawful fatal shooting during an operation in which they shot at him six times, despite them lacking any clear identification of threats. The subsequent failure to thoroughly investigate the incident and flawed procedural practices highlight systemic issues in accountability, transparency and adherence to human rights standards within British policing.
The overall system of policing failed Rodney, his family and the wider community. There was insufficient training, lack of accountability (it took seven years for an inquiry to take place), excessive force and systemic racial biases that led to the tragic outcome.
The scale of violence shown towards Black and Brown people by police evidences the undeniable racism that is rooted within the Criminal Justice System. Without actively confronting this reality, we cannot escape the cycle of violence against racialised communities, especially when we give the people within these systems power, weapons and the means to evade accountability.
Campaign Flyer
Recently, Susan has been working closely with INQUEST alongside organising with the United Families and Friends Campaign and creating beautiful artwork. We loved hearing more about Susan’s story in her interview for the Unlawful Killing podcast – Episode Five: Protest Banners.
In 2025 Susan said:
You can find out more about INQUEST's community impact and knowledge exchange projects with the Centre for Social Justice Research here.Make a Donation
Every year, INQUEST supports hundreds of families bereaved by deaths involving the state. We are independent of government and entirely reliant on grants and donations to continue our vital work.
Support us and bereaved families in the fight for truth, justice and accountability by becoming a regular donor today.
Donate now
Subscribe to our newsletter
To receive the latest news from INQUEST straight into you inbox please subscribe. For examples of what you will receive, see our previous newsletters.