Line of Duty tackles systemic racism with the 'Lawrence Christopher' case

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC
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Line of Duty spoilers follow.

There's a lot that is familiar, for all of the right reasons, about Line of Duty season six.

Bent coppers, the agonisingly long interview beep and shootouts that rival the very best the big screen has to offer are once again spicing up our Sunday nights.

RELATED: What happened to Kate Fleming, plus more questions and theories

But it's also broken new ground in two crucial ways. We've already spoken about Jo Davidson's (Kelly Macdonald) sexuality and what that could mean for the series, and in the latest episode there was another first, steered by newcomer DC Chloe Bishop (Shalom Brune-Franklin).

As part of her digging into the murder of journalist Gail Vella (Andi Osho) and how that links to OCG activity, Chloe brought the killing of Lawrence Christopher to the attention of Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston).

Photo credit: Steffan Hill - BBC
Photo credit: Steffan Hill - BBC

The fictional Christopher was a young Black man who had been attacked by a gang of white youths. He had been struck on the head with lead piping, and was later found wandering nearby in a state of confusion by a member of the public, who called the police. On their arrival, Christopher was "uncooperative" – a symptom of his assault – and was taken into custody. His skull fracture went untreated and he died that night.

As he drew his final breaths, the custody officers present made monkey noises and laughed. But despite that, they were all cleared of misconduct and retired early, citing stress as the contributing factor. As well as receiving full pensions, they also claimed tens of thousands of pounds in compensation.

Photo credit: Steffan Hill - BBC
Photo credit: Steffan Hill - BBC

Because he was Black, Christopher, an architect who had never been in trouble with the law and certainly didn't have any gang affiliations, was expected to be an active participant in crime rather than a victim. His family refused to accept the injustice and following their complaints, it was later acknowledged that Christopher had not been involved in any criminal activity.

Despite his name being cleared, the men responsible, all of whom had a history of racially aggravated violence, were released without charge and granted anonymity following a botched investigation.

The police had received numerous tip-offs that the gang was responsible, but one whole week had elapsed before witnesses were interviewed. Forensic evidence from their homes also hadn't been secured, and the identification parade took place more than a month after Christopher's murder, which gave the suspects time to alter their appearances.

Another enquiry was launched after Christopher's friends and family once again raised the issue and it was concluded that the procedural errors were the result of institutional racism.

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Racism is not a subject that Line of Duty had tackled until the most recent episode. Whether creator Jed Mercurio had always planned to weave it into the narrative or was spurred on by the global outrage following the death of George Floyd, as so many others have been, it's not clear. It's most likely the latter given that we've just watched episode number 34.

What is also significant is Mercurio's decision to address both overt racism – the physical harm and verbal abuse that Christopher suffered – and implicit racial bias, namely the assumption of criminality predicated on the colour of his skin. And while a number of individuals involved in the investigation ensured that it was compromised to protect various OCG moves and shakers, several failings also pointed to racist discrimination, both blatant and covert.

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

You can seek out content on every available platform that confronts the disease of racism, or not. But in that same breath it should also be noted that the real-life Lawrence Christophers do not share that luxury, because they're forced to endure it, not just once but throughout the course of their lives.

Christopher's story was an unexpected inclusion, which is where mainstream series like Line of Duty, with its millions of viewers, can play such a vital role, acting as a Trojan horse to underscore hard truths about the world. The character's name is a very clear reference to the murder of Stephen Lawrence and Christopher Alder's death in police custody. Other failings include the two Black men who were stopped and searched in 2020 after a fist bump was interpreted as a drug exchange, and numerous damning statistics such as data released by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFRS) in 2017 which revealed that if you're Black, you're at least eight times more likely to be stopped and searched than a white person, even though it's statistically less likely drugs will be recovered (via The Independent).

Last year, Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick acknowledged (via The Independent) that the force "is not free of discrimination, racism or bias".

Entertainment has the power to sweep us up in its arms and whisk us away from the fires raging outside our front doors. But equally, it can be a confronting, powerful tool, capable of forcing us to reckon with injustice, and even enact positive change.

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Just in case you need a refresher, here's how Christopher's death links to the wider plot.

One of the men who attacked him was the son of former OCG boss Tommy Hunter (Brian McCardie), who also appears to be Davidson's father. Back in season one, Tommy framed Tony Gates (Lennie James) for the murder of his mistress Jackie Laverty (Gina McKee). He also ordered his minions, one of which was a young Ryan Pilkington (Gregory Piper), to kidnap and torture Steve, and DI Matthew "Dot" Cottan (Craig Parkinson) was one of Hunter's men on the inside.

In season two, Hunter was being transferred from a safe house under the watchful eye of Lindsay Denton (Keeley Hawes) when the police convoy was ambushed. He survived and was taken to hospital for severe injuries, but it was there that he seemingly met his end. Corrupt detective Jeremy Cole (Henry Pettigrew), masquerading as a nurse, appeared to kill him (a number of fans now suspect that he's still alive) and chucked DC Georgia Trotman (Jessica Raine) out of a window.

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

The Senior Investigating Officer during Christopher's investigation was DCI Marcus Thurwell (James Nesbitt). His name cropped up in connection with Sands View Boys Home, which was a hotbed of child sexual exploitation.

Vella wanted to unearth why there hadn't been a public inquiry into the authorities' failure to protect those boys. She arranged an interview with numerous major players, including former Chief Superintendent Patrick Fairbank (George Costigan), who Steve and Chloe questioned in last night's episode. But she was killed the night before she was able to speak to him.

All signs point towards Hunter ordering Thurwell to scupper the investigation in order to protect his son. And the spotlight was once again shone on DS Ian Buckells (Nigel Boyle) and Chief Inspector Philip Osborne (Owen Teale), who were part of Thurwell's team at the time. Vella's death would have been in both of their interests.

Line of Duty continues on Sunday, April 25 at 9pm on BBC One.


For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.


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