Town hosts Stephen Lawrence event

Stephen Lawrence was killed in Eltham, south east London, in 1993

A meeting has been held to mark the 10th anniversary of a Berkshire town's declaration to promote racial equality, after the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

The Reading Declaration "Stephen Lawrence - 10 Years On" was made in 2000 in the aftermath of the MacPherson Report into his death in London.

It was signed by the council, health service, criminal justice services and Reading Council for Racial Equality.

Stephen's mother, Doreen Lawrence, made a keynote speech at the conference.

Race relations reviewed

The 18-year-old A-level student was fatally stabbed at a bus stop near his home in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993.

A 1997 inquest ruled he had been "unlawfully killed in a completely unprovoked racist attack by five white youths".

The original Metropolitan Police investigation did not lead to any prosecutions.

The inquiry into the failure of the original police investigation to find and convict Stephen's killers, headed by Sir William MacPherson and which reported in 1999, famously concluded that the force was "institutionally racist".

It also made 70 recommendations and had an enormous impact on the race relations debate - from criminal justice through to all public authorities.

In September an interim report from an independent panel said the Metropolitan Police needed a fresh start against racism and discrimination.

It also accused the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) of failing to hold the service to account effectively.

The MPA responded by saying it would build on the successful initiatives noted by the inquiry panel.