NBPA and UEL mark Stephen Lawrence Day
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Published
10 April 2026
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The National Black Police Association (NBPA), in partnership with the University of East London (UEL), hosted a significant and moving event ahead of Stephen Lawrence Day, bringing together voices from policing, academia and the wider community.
Held under the theme “Learning from the past, leading from the present”, the event at UEL’s Docklands Campus on created space for reflection, debate and a renewed commitment to change more than three decades after the murder of Stephen Lawrence on 22 April, 1993.
Stephen Lawrence, an aspiring architect, was killed in a racially motivated attack in south-east London, aged 18, while waiting for a bus in Eltham.
Landmark case
The subsequent investigation by the Metropolitan Police was widely criticised for incompetence, leading to failures in securing early convictions. A sustained campaign by the Lawrence family led to a public inquiry and the landmark Macpherson Report in 1999, which concluded that the police were institutionally racist.
The case remains a defining moment in modern British history, shaping policing, race relations and the criminal justice system.
Throughout the day, speakers and attendees engaged in discussions around trust, representation and the lived experiences of Black communities. Speakers drew attention to the rise of right wing rhetoric globally.
Unfinished work
Dr Nadia Habashi, Cluster Lead for Criminology, Justice and Policing at the Royal Docks School of Business and Law at UEL, told the conference, “Stephen Lawrence Day carries particular weight, not simply as a moment of remembrance, but as a continuing point of reference for questions of justice, accountability, and institutional responsibility.
“Its significance lies not only in what it asks us to remember, but in what it asks us to confront about institutions, about trust, and about the work that remains unfinished.”
Speaking outside the conference, Chief Inspector Andy George, President of the NBPA, reinforced the need for continued action. He said, “Today was about more than reflection. It was about recognising the responsibility we all carry to keep pushing forward. The conversations matter because they lead to action.”
United in commitment
Among the speakers were Lee Jasper, who has spent four decades advocating for greater police accountability; Pauline Campbell, an award-winning lawyer and Windrush campaigner; Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Carl Galvin, who leads on culture, diversity and inclusion; and Deborah Fish, project manager at the Stephen Lawrence Foundation who brought with her a message from Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, Stephen’s mother.
Reflecting on the event, Dr Habashi said, “It was a privilege for the University of East London to host the NBPA’s annual Stephen Lawrence Day Conference. Together with the NBPA and the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, we are united in our commitment to honour Stephen Lawrence’s legacy, using it as a powerful reminder of the importance of compassion, trust and open dialogue in building stronger community relations.”
Photos by AMFAphotos