Casting new light on the centrality of race in contemporary society, this book critically examines a unique black voluntary organization working with black people, who are detained by the police. It reveals how dependent the organization is on the police's co-operation and support. It also reveals the strategies adopted by the police to undermine or subvert this voluntary service while at the same time asserting their support for it and claiming to be operating according to equal opportunities directives. The author reports on the ways that the volunteers from diverse backgrounds were able to co-operate in the voluntary services they provided, notwithstanding the practical and analytical difficulties inherent in using the term "black" to embrace any racialised group. The book provides valuable models to other voluntary organizations, while demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of race in sustaining key social divisions.