Lawrence murder anniversary

The mother of Stephen Lawrence - who was killed by a gang of racists - has spoken at a memorial service to mark the 20th anniversary of his murder.

Doreen Lawrence said a lot had been achieved in the wake of the Macpherson Report, but she stressed: "We must not fall into a false sense of security that all is well and there's no more to be done".

She also spoke about her hopes for the future of the trust set up in her son's name.

A memorial service is taking place to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered by a gang of racists in south-east London.

A host of prominent figures are in attendance including the leaders of the main political parties, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

The Labour leader Ed Miliband has paid tribute to the family of Stephen Lawrence on the 20th anniversary of his death.

Twenty years after the death of Stephen Lawrence an exclusive YouGov poll with ITV News London and LBC 97.3 reveals the public's perceptions of attitudes towards race in the Metropolitan Police.

Over 1,100 people were questioned across the city, the results showed that:

• 59% of black and ethnic minority Londoners think that the Met Police is institutionally racist, compared with 28% of white Londoners.

• 55% of black and minority Londoners think that the Met have failed to successfully deal with racism among their officers, compared with just 16% that feel they have reacted well.

• Over half of Londoners think that London is a less racist city than it was at the time of Stephen Lawrence's murder, with only 13% believing the problem is worsening.
• Half of Londoners said they think there are not enough police officers from ethnic minorities in the Met Police.

The only witness to the murder of Stephen Lawrence has told Daybreak that young people in the UK are still carrying knives to protect themselves.

Duwayne Brooks appealed to the police to continue the investigation into Stephen's death so that his killers could be bought to justice.

Mr Brooks was Stephen's best friend and is now a Liberal Democrat Councillor in London.

As well as campaigning for justice for her son, Doreen Lawrence set up the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust in his memory, to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Today, on the 20th anniversary of Stephen's death, the charity called for continued action to improve racial equality in Britain.

Chairman Symon Sentain said: "While there has been progress in the 20 years since Stephen's death, not enough has changed. Social justice remains the focus of the Trust and we will continue to campaign, ensuring the lessons from Stephen's murder are acted upon.

"Britain cannot afford to waste talent. We need to have an inclusive and diverse workforce and encourage young people to transform their lives, overcome disadvantage and begin ambitious careers as professionals."

The Trust has backed 100 young people to study to become architects, and is now supporting five young black law students on the road to becoming partners at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, with the aim of running similar schemes in other industries in the future

The mother of Stephen Lawrence, Doreen, will be joined by friends and relatives at a memorial service in London today to mark the 20th anniversary of her son's death.

Mrs Lawrence told the Press Association she was uncertain how she would feel today.

She said: "On the day you can't plan how you're feeling, it's just something that happens. My low point has already started so presumably I will feel quite low."

The mother of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence says that twenty years after his death his siblings are affected "more than anyone could know".

Doreen Lawrence said that earlier this year the charity set up in the memory of Stephen received a racist threat targetted at her other son Stuart.

"They do the best they can and, like me, they don't really dwell that much, but you know in their moments how depressing it is for them," Doreen said.