In January 2021, Awate Suleiman, UNJUST & Liberty launched a legal challenge against the Met Police over the racist Gangs Matrix. Days before the case was meant to be heard, the Met Police settled the claim, admitting that the Gangs Matrix breached people’s right to privacy.

Unsurprisingly, the Met Police refused to accept that the Gangs Matrix was discriminatory in mainly focussing on young Black men & boys.

Because of this legal challenge, thousands of people, including children and youth, were removed from the database. Now, on request, the Met Police must verify people’s status. However, due to the covert nature of the Gangs Matrix, we know many people may never have been aware that they were on the database in the first place. 

That’s why UNJUST, 4FRONT & Tottenham Rights have formed the Erase The Database Collective.

The collective is partnering with community activists, campaigners, academics and lawyers to create the #EraseTheDatabase campaign. We intend to ensure that this legal win is translated into meaningful change for all whose rights were breached and lives damaged. We will resist new and emerging forms of oppressive police technology.

Our work is evolving. It is continually being contributed to, built and shaped by a dynamic team of collaborators. Together, we will #EraseTheDatabase for good.

Why we must #EraseTheDatabase.

The Gangs Matrix is racist. 79% of people on it are Black, and 86.5% are from racialised communities. Whilst it is claimed that the Gangs Matrix was created to address ‘gang activity’ and criminality, it is evident that the database had a specific focus on targeting young Black men and boys. 

The Gangs Matrix works by allocating a person an automated score which measures how much ‘risk’ they pose. This data is shared with other institutions, such as housing providers, schools, local councils, the Driver and Vechicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Being on the Gangs Matrix can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. 

Consequences of being on the Matrix can include:

  • Increased police surveillance

  • Subjected to increased stop-and-search and police use of force

  • Eviction from your home

  • Removal of a child from their family home

  • Prevention from accessing benefits

  • Exclusion from mainstream education

  • Being prevented from getting a driving licence, or having your licence revoked

  • Tougher sentences if you are convicted of a crime

  • Being charged and convicted under ‘Joint Enterprise’ (see below)

  • Deportation

“People on the Matrix are having their civil liberties curtailed, they are not granted the opportunity to be socially mobile, nor able to fully participate in society and live free of state interference”

- Being Matrixed: The (Over)policing of Gang Suspects in London Report