Hampshire Police forced staff to endure diversity training against their will
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary staff forced staff to endure diversity training against their will despite receiving warnings against doing so, it has emerged.
Following a racism and misogyny scandal which led to the dismissal of five officers in 2021, the force - whose officers handcuffed Henry Nowak as he lay dying on the streets of Southampton - introduced a mandatory equality and inclusion training programme.
The taxpayer-funded scheme cost £861,737 in total - roughly £144 for every employee over a three-year period.
Hampshire Police's 6,250 members of staff were all made to undergo the in-house initiative.
However, after interviewing officers, Reading University's Professor Netta Weinstein - one of the training course's creators - issued a warning to the force.
“Where we see the least success is when EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] training is introduced as a reaction to a negative incident," she wrote.
“Often, training is mandated, legislation is reinforced and there is pressure to conform.
"When personal failings (biases) are highlighted attendees can feel criticised or punished."
The psychology professor added: "This kind of training can backfire, resulting in reinforcing bias or counterproductive behaviours.”
The force's staff were trained to be aware of racism, unconscious bias, and privilege, alongside contested "critical race theory".
A recent survey uncovered by The Times found one in seven of those at Hampshire Police had felt “controlled and pressured” to adopt these notions, living in fear that “mistakes would have been held against me”.
A fifth also said they feared being “rejected for saying the wrong thing" - the same defence used to justify not pursuing criminal charges against those involved in grooming gang scandals.
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Tens of thousands of pounds in taxpayer cash were handed to external firms to consult and create training materials for the force's Inclusion Matters programme.
One company - called Inclusive Employers Ltd - were paid £54,566 to deliver “workplace banter and bullying training”, spending archives revealed.
Meanwhile, Pukka Films was handed £10,238 to craft an educational film which would “explore police bias in an effort to increase sensitivity and critical thinking”.
A "two-tier" policing row has erupted across the country - and the world - in the wake of Mr Nowak's murder, but the former head of policing's national diversity plan has insisted it is the responsibility of Britain's police forces to end racism in society.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Alison Heydari said she wanted the Race Action Plan to be “embedded in the DNA of policing”.
However, the senior officer warned: “In terms of DEI with Trump you know one of the things that I do fear is that some of that will then be translated into the narrative that we have in the UK.”
Police chiefs have since launched an urgent review into "two-tier" policing guidelines in the wake of the university student's death.
Both the Conservatives and Reform UK have pledged to scrap DEI schemes being rolled out across Britain.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “The police should be concentrating on the basics of protecting the public and catching criminals.
'"They don’t need to be learning about the history of particular ethnic groups or attempting to engage in social engineering.
“The police simply treat all groups the same. No more no less.
"The nonsense in critical race theory and so-called anti-racist ideology is divisive, itself racist and in a policing context actually dangerous to the public.”
GB News has approached Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary for comment.
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