Advocates argue that the erasure of an illegal database referred to as the “matrix” would eliminate crucial evidence of biased policing and hinder the revelation of wrongful convictions.
The gangs violence matrix (GVM) used by the Metropolitan Police, which connected individuals to supposed gang affiliations, is slated for complete deletion on February 13, following a 2022 ruling that deemed it unlawful.
The campaign organization Joint Enterprise Not Guilty By Association (Jengba) contends that preserving this data is essential for individuals to determine if they were unfairly targeted by the Met and to bring to light possible wrongful convictions.
“There is no doubt some individuals we assist were entered in the gang matrix, significantly influencing their convictions,” the group states. “These young individuals are serving life sentences despite not being responsible for anyone’s death. While we support the dismantling of this database, access to it is crucial to ensure those we aid aren’t unjustly imprisoned because of it.”
Youth were identified as gang members based largely on their relationships, which often resulted in increased negative scrutiny from law enforcement and raised the likelihood of being charged under the joint enterprise principle—enabling multiple individuals to be convicted for a crime they didn’t commit.
The latest statistics from 2022-2023 indicate that out of the 496 individuals remaining in the database, 364 were Black (73%), 408 were Black, Asian, or from other minority ethnic backgrounds (82%), while only 72 were White (15%). Furthermore, 465 (94%) individuals were under 30 years old, and 495 (99.8%) were male.
At its highest point in 2017, the matrix included 3,881 individuals, which Amnesty International referred to as part of a “racialized war” on gangs.
In 2018, an inquiry by the Information Commissioner’s Office revealed that the Met had violated data protection, privacy, and equality laws regarding its application of the matrix, highlighting discrimination against young Black men.
A successful legal challenge by the organization Unjust in 2022 concluded that the database contravened the European Convention on Human Rights concerning its governance and functioning. Consequently, the Metropolitan Police agreed to reformulate the database and ultimately opted to disband it and remove all related data.
While the database was officially taken offline in February, legal submissions from Unjust, represented by the human rights organization Liberty, postponed its deletion to February 13, 2025.
The matrix was created in 2011 as a reaction to the London uprisings following the police shooting of Mark Duggan. Marketed as a sophisticated intelligence tool regarding “gangs” and gang-related violence, the entries were frequently based on unreliable data and compiled haphazardly.
It included personal information that was shared with several third parties, including the Home Office, local governments, the DWP, housing agencies, schools, immigration enforcement, and the DVLA. An algorithm was utilized to assign a “risk score,” which affected how police and other organizations interacted with those on the list.
In 2018, the Guardian disclosed that over 40% of young people on a matrix list from Haringey, north London, were categorized as presenting “zero” risk of causing harm, with some identified as being more likely to be victims than perpetrators.
The Met failed to notify individuals of their inclusion in the matrix, nor was there a process for appealing against such inclusion or reviewing the data collected about them. Those listed faced various enforcement actions, including exclusion from benefits, housing, and education, alongside heightened stop-and-search practices. Individuals could only ascertain their status on the database through a subject access request to the Met.
Kim Johnson, the MP for Liverpool Riverside and chair of the all-parliamentary group on miscarriages of justice, has reached out to the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, requesting that an independent body oversee the database while further inquiries into its detrimental effects occur, allowing it to remain useful for individual appeals.
“This unlawful police action necessitates governmental intervention to address historical injustices linked to this database and uphold justice,” she asserted. “A permanent deletion equates to obliterating the documentary evidence.”
A representative from the Metropolitan Police stated: “Since the decommissioning, the Met has received a number of access requests, and we have responded in all instances. Due to the sensitive nature of this information, we do not endorse GVM personal data being managed by a third party.”
