RACIAL disparities in the criminal justice system are “shameful” for London, the head of the Metropolitan Police said today.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told Sky News that disparity among suspects and victims of crime in the capital was a “difficult” issue for the force.

He said there was a history between policing and black communities “where policing has got a lot wrong: and we get a lot more right today,” he claimed.

Sir Mark said policing was improving but acknowledged that mistrust still exists, made worse by police tactics such as stop and search.

He added: “I’m so determined to find a way to get past this because if policing in black communities can find a way to confront these issues, together we can give black boys growing up in London equal life chances to white boys, which is not what we’re seeing at the moment.

“And it’s not simply about policing, is it?” he added, citing higher school exclusion rates as part of broader systemic issues.

Sir Mark described the criminal justice system as “close to broken,” with courts overwhelmed and cases delayed until 2029.

He called for urgent reforms following warnings in the recent Leveson report on criminal courts.