Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 90
90
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 597
IOPC previously complacent on race, now commits to focused discrimination review
Conclusion
Evidence given to this inquiry indicates that the IOPC (and the IPCC before it) has been too complacent on matters of race, and specifically has not worked to collate data consistently (see chapter five). We welcome the IOPC’s announcement, in summer 2020, that it will commit to a dedicated focus on race discrimination as a thematic area of review. Specifically, it states that this will involve “independently investigating more cases where racial discrimination may be a factor in order to develop a body of evidence” to advance change.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government response details ongoing work on police training in diversity, equality, and inclusion, and outlines commitments from the 'Inclusive Britain' response and a new 'Race Action Plan' to improve policing and confidence in black communities, aligning with the broader theme of addressing race in policing.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
597
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
The College and police forces are responsible for developing and delivering quality training that meets the varied needs of police officers and staff to ensure that they can best engage with, support and protect our communities. The Home Office supports the College’s ambitions to continuously review and improve guidance and training on offer for police forces. As part of this, police officers need training that helps them engage with all the communities they serve. We already see some aspects of training on community engagement or particular protected characteristics available as part of the training offer to police officers and support staff. Many training programmes, such as the Fast-Track programmes, Senior Leadership Development curricular and the new Police Education Qualification Framework entry routes, emphasise the importance of diversity, equality, and inclusion. Training on the use of police powers also provides guidance on their best and appropriate use, and training on conflict management is also provided. However, the Home Office agrees with the Committee that more work needs to be done to understand the consistency of the training available across forces in England and Wales. The importance of training was stressed in the independent CRED report and as part of the ‘Inclusive Britain’ response, the Home Office has committed to supporting the College and the NPCC by autumn 2024 to review and deliver any necessary improvements to police officer training in de-escalation skills and conflict management in everyday police-citizen encounters, such as use of stop and search and use of force powers. Both the NPCC and the College have also co-developed, with policing stakeholders, a new ‘Race Action Plan’ which outlines a series of measures to improve policing and secure the confidence of black people, both within policing and the public. Across policing including forces, the College and NPCC, there is a drive to ensure officers guidance and training reflects the needs of both the police and the communities they service.
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