𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Police have been told to write 500 word essays about their views on racism after being given lessons on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), documents have revealed. The Surrey Police sessions are part of courses that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money. It has also been reported that Northamptonshire Police personnel are being told that Brexit has caused a rise in far-right hate incidents, while the City of London Police hosts a “listening circle” about Gaza.

It comes after concerns that police believed 18-year-old Henry Nowak’s killer, Vickrum Digwa, who lied to officers, claiming that he had been the victim of a racist attack. Officers did not think Henry was telling them the truth when he told them he had been stabbed. This led to claims of “two-tier” policing. Police racism guidance is to be reviewed. A National Police Chief Council document stated that a commitment to racial equity “does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’ (racial equality)”.

Police Minister Sarah Jones said the guidance gives the “wrong impression”, and suggested that the wording needs to be changed.

The shadow home secretary, Chris Philip, described the equality lessons discovered by The Telegraph as a “catalogue of insanity” and “catastrophic waste of money”.

The shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, said: “The growth of DEI training in the police, justice system and wider public sector is alarming. Much of this so-called ‘training’, whether on unconscious bias, gender or institutional racism, is pure Left-wing ideology.”

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “Surrey Police’s foundation training includes lessons on culture and inclusion and on hate crime as guided by the overarching training curriculum for new officers laid out by the College of Policing.

“We do not instruct officers either to record or not record non-crime hate incidents (NCHI). In March this year, it was announced nationally that the current NCHI system will be replaced with a new approach to keep individuals and communities safe, while making clear that lawful free speech is not a police matter.

“Surrey Police officers are directed to follow force policy and the authorised professional practice issued by the College of Policing.”

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring their workforces have the knowledge and skills required to serve all communities fairly, effectively and in accordance with the law.

“The roles referenced in the FOI response support activity across all three organisations and encompass a range of responsibilities relating to organisational culture, insight, research, equality and workforce development.

“The training materials referenced in your enquiry are designed to support staff in understanding equality legislation, recognising bias and delivering services that meet the needs of our diverse communities.

“The materials reference trends observed in relation to the growth of far-right groups in the UK and Europe since 2016 and include reference to the EU referendum as part of that timeline. However, the material does not state that the referendum caused those trends.”

A City of London Police spokesman said: “Ensuring our officers are educated and understand the social issues they encounter every day to remain aware and impartial is important.

“By continually developing our knowledge, we are better equipped to make informed decisions, maintain public confidence, and provide the highest standards of service to everyone, which is in line with our policing plan aim to be one of the most inclusive police forces in the country.”