Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has given to police forces regarding Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion.

The Home Office has not issued any guidance to forces on this matter. Policing is operationally independent and the College of Policing is the body responsible for setting clear national standards, including the Code of Ethics, and issuing Authorised Professional Practice. This provides officers and forces with a single, authoritative reference point for what good practice looks like across core areas of policing.

All communities deserve to have trust and confidence in the police, and there is no place for racism or intolerance in policing as we continue to take pride in forces that are truly representative of the communities they serve.

Any instances of racism in policing are wholly unacceptable, and restoring public confidence requires police forces, working with Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) and local communities to rebuild trust, uphold the highest standards, and protect everyone from harm, with clear and equal treatment for all, regardless of ethnicity.

It is therefore right that police are properly trained to uphold the Code of Ethics, which requires all police officers and staff to make their decisions free from prejudice: this principle is at the heart of police practice and is the cornerstone of police training.