Diversity firm which criticised JK Rowling deliver anti-racism 'white fragility' training to 2,000 police officers and staff

By GRAHAM GRANT, SCOTTISH HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 20:47, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 20:53, 10 June 2026 More than 2,000 police officers and civilian staff have undergone controversial anti-racism training by a diversity firm which criticised JK Rowling for being anti-woke. The Mail revealed last year that Police Scotland had drafted in Mission Diverse to coach staff after former Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone claimed the service was ‘institutionally racist’. Now the programme is being rolled out across the force and it has been highlighted by the College of Policing, which draws up guidelines for police across the UK, as a ‘practice example’ for other forces. Officers are being trained on ‘white fragility’ – which refers to feelings of discomfort a white person experiences when they witness discussions around racial inequality and injustice. It comes amid an ongoing row over the murder in Southampton of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was arrested while dying after being falsely accused of committing a racist assault.  Some Hampshire Police officers said they felt ‘controlled and pressured’ during diversity training. Former Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone claimed the service was ‘institutionally racist’ On Wednesday, former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher said: ‘If the tragic murder of Henry Nowak can have any positive, surely it is that this divisive training – which brings no operational benefit to policing – is consigned to the dustbin of history where it belongs.  'The police should be catching criminals – not being indoctrinated into becoming social justice zealots.’ The College of Policing said that ‘to date, over 2,300 officers and staff have received the training in Scotland’.  Mission Diverse teaches officers and staff to spot ‘unconscious bias’ and ‘microaggressions’ and has stated it is ‘important to remember [the media portrayal] of the word “woke” has often been “white-washed” in society. ‘White-washing is altering the portrayal of information or facts which is used to benefit, favour, feature, or caters to white people, who often don’t have a personal affinity to the issues being addressed, or feel threatened by such progressive thinking.’ It added: ‘In many Western countries, the term “woke” is often used as an insult towards progressive people who are alert and willing to address issues of racism and discrimination, by suggesting individuals are being performative, or insincere. ‘In turn, there are many public figures such as Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, Jeremy Clarkson, JK Rowling and more [who] use the term “woke” as an offensive term with negative associations to those who advocate social justice.’  JK Rowling was highlighted as an example of a public figure who uses 'woke' as an offensive term The national force confirmed the value of the contract, including VAT, is £111,600. A College of Policing spokesman said: ‘The practice example is from Police Scotland and is not our training or course. It acts as a noticeboard for work done in forces and does not form part of the college’s thorough testing and evidence-based work.’ Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton said: ‘Police Scotland’s commitment and determination to build an organisation which is anti-racist and anti-discriminatory has never been stronger. ‘Our Policing Together programme is driving meaningful change across the organisation which will enable us to continue building a policing service which is inclusive and free from any form of discrimination, including the roll out of Act Don’t React (ADR) and Anti-Racist Training, and ensure our officers and staff know they belong, demonstrate our values, and take a human rights-based approach to policing.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.