London’s top cop is apologizing for photos of one its constables painted in blackface, wearing a tribal costume.
Police chief John Pare condemned the images during a media conference Thursday afternoon, calling Cst. Katrina Aarts’ choice of a Halloween costume back in 2006 both “offensive” and “absolutely inappropriate.”
Aarts didn’t attend the meeting, but wrote a letter of apology read out by the chief.
“Eleven years ago, I dressed up in tribal costume with coils around my neck, for Halloween. In preparing for this costume, I painted my skin dark brown. At the time, I didn’t recognize the racial implications in choosing this costume,” her letter states.
Aarts has been on active duty doing patrol operations for the London police service, and chief Pare said there’d be no futher consequences now that a professional standards investigation is complete.
“I am now forever remorseful for this decision,” Aarts writes.
“As a member of the London Police Service, I take pride in my reputation as a constable and have therefore taken upon myself to ensure this doesn’t happen again by seeking out training on cultural sensitivity, racism, biased stereotypes, and the negative impacts of the same.”
Pare told members of the media the incident “doesn’t rise to the level of misconduct.” The photos were posted on Instagram by Aarts’ sister, and had been snapped a decade before she was hired by the London police, he explained.
Meanwhile, the incident is being looked at as a learning opportunity not just for Aarts, but also the entire police service.
As of Tuesday, Pare said training had started for all the service’s employees — both sworn and civilian — on cultural sensitivity and racial awareness, with a focus on the black community.
Pare added that Aarts has been an excellent officer who’s been highly engaged in the community ever since she was hired.
“I believe that her immediate willingness to take responsibility for her choice, apologize, and take training, demonstrates her character now. Racism is not acceptable in any circumstances, dressing in blackface is not acceptable. It is demeaning, and a racist action.”
The London Police Services Board commented on the apology in a brief statement, released Thursday night.
“On behalf of the London Police Services Board, I wish to acknowledge the deep hurt and distress this incident has caused the black community. We support the timely and unequivocal response from the London Police Service and the officer involved. We are pleased that the Chief used this opportunity to reaffirm the LPS’ commitment to further training and community relationship building,” wrote board member Susan Toth.
“The Board will individually and collectively continue to actively engage with the black community to ensure they are involved in the process. We will continue to listen and work closely with the black, indigenous and racialized communities. We are committed to doing so in a transparent manner and providing timely updates and information about this process and the training.”
Photos of Cst. Aarts dressed in a tribal costume, with her skin painted dark brown, had been posted on Instagram by her sister. They were discovered last week.
Letter of apology from Cst. Katrina Aarts:
On December 29, 2017, I was investigated for a posting that my sister created on Instagram. Although I did not have control over the posting of the pictures, I am taking responsibility for the content in the photos.
11 years ago, I dressed up in tribal costume with coils around my neck for Halloween. In preparing for this costume, I painted my skin dark brown. At the time, I did not recognize the racial implications when choosing this costume. However, sitting her today, I am now forever remorseful for this decision.
As a member of the London Police Service, I take pride in my reputation as a Constable and therefore have taken upon myself to ensure that this does not happen again by seeking out training on cultural sensitivity, racisim, bias stereotypes and the negative impacts of the same.
I am putting this out to the community to apologize and explain the efforts I have taken and will take to be an ambassador of change within the London Police Service. I will look for opportunities to participate in internal training of London Police Service members so that other members of the London Police Service may recognize the importance of such a powerful subject.
I apologize greatly for any hardship that this has caused London Police Service, as well as any member of the public that has been emotionally effected or offended. I hope that you can accept this apology and permit me the opportunity to represent this organization in the most inclusive form in which I am capable.
Sincerely,
Katrina Aarts