London police drops ‘racist’ anti-grime, garage, R&B law

London’s infamous "Form 696 Risk Assessment" document, which had been widely criticised as being racist and targeting grime, garage and R&B shows, has been abandoned by the city’s Metropolitan Police.

After a spate of shootings at clubs in 2005, Form 969 called for the promoter to provide the name, address, date of birth and phone number for each artist performing, and to supply data on the style of music being played and the ethnic makeup of the crowd that would be attracted.

The last two were dropped after a review in 2009, following complaints that Form 696 was actively discriminating against music popular with black and Asian music fans.

London grime acts as Giggs and MC P Money (pictured) claimed their shows were pulled at the last minute as a result.

The call by artists and promoters intensified as grime increasingly became popular in the UK.

Earlier this year, London mayor Sadiq Khan called for a further review.

A survey on the perceptions of grime conducted by Ticketmaster’s LiveAnalytics division and the University of Westminster found that 48% of 2000 respondents considered Form 696 discriminatory because it only applied to specific events.

A statement from Metropolitan Police said that Form 696 would be scrapped and the force would “develop a new voluntary partnership approach for venues and promoters across London prior to events where they think there’s going to be an actual risk.”

The statement stressed, “There is no doubt that over the last decade a number of serious incidents have been prevented through the effective exchange of information, advice and intelligence between the Met, promoters and venue managers as part of this process.”

Mayor Khan responded, “This decision will help London’s night-time economy thrive, ensure the capital is a welcoming place for artists and DJs of all music genres and that Londoners are able to enjoy live music safely.”

UK Music CEO Michael Dugher said the move would help ensure that “London remains a world beater when it comes to our cultural music mix.”