Social Science evidence and expert testimony for a Public Inquiry
Published: 17 June 2024
Nasar Meer provided evidence for the Public Inquiry into the events surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh
On 05 June 2024 Professor Nasar Meer provided two days of expert testimony, drawing on a specifically commissioned research report for the Public Inquiry into the events surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh in Kirkcaldy in 2015.
The Sheku Bayoh Public Inquiry is currently underway to assess the post incident management process, and the subsequent investigation, into the death of Sheku Bayoh following contact with officers from Police Scotland.
Professor Meer was asked by the Inquiry Team to provide a comprehensive expert report with information and analysis relevant to the Inquiry’s approach to the issue of race. This included (1) a discussion of policy concepts, social categories and recent histories of ethnic and racial inequalities in Scotland; (2) an understanding of survey attitudes and social outcomes as these have emerged in the labour market, in levels of poverty and education in Scotland, and (3) an account of the composition, outcomes and perception of Policing in Scotland.
This Inquiry will assess and make recommendations for the future and the extent (if any) to which the events leading up to and following Mr Bayoh’s death, in particular the actions of the officers involved, were affected by his actual or perceived race and to make recommendations to address any findings in that regard.
Professor Meer said: “It’s an immense responsibility to contribute to the work of the Inquiry. The research and analysis have been motivated both by rigour and an awareness that at the heart of this Inquiry are people living with the impact of the events of Mr Bayoh’s death.”
The Inquiry is chaired by The Right Honourable Lord Bracadale, a retired High Court judge, and is seeking to establish the circumstances of the death of Sheku Bayoh, including any defects in any operating models, procedures and training or other system of working which contributed to the death and any other factors which are relevant to the circumstances of the death.
First published: 17 June 2024
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