Training and recruiting the police
in a diverse society
103. The Macpherson Inquiry has emphasised
that the police service's ability to police the whole community
fairly is not an add-on extra to its core duties, but absolutely
central. Effective training and recruitment practices are essential
to building the representative, fair and efficient police service
we all want to see (paragraph 151).
104. The Government agrees with the Committee's
conclusion. The Government recognises and welcomes the fact that
Britain is a culturally diverse society and is determined to ensure
that our institutions are equipped to function fairly and effectively
in that environment. To this end, one of the principles guiding
all work relating to police/community relations is that they should
help and support the police to enforce the law in a multi-cultural
and multi-ethnic Britain. NPT and ACPO are developing a comprehensive
programme of training activities and good practice which includes
racism awareness and other training needs. This involves the review
and revision of existing provision, setting clear standards for
the design and delivery of training and the identification of
the best delivery methods.
105. The Action Plan which emerged from
the Southampton Conference Dismantling Barriers emphasises
the Government's commitment to a police service which is representative
of the community it serves. The two booklets Dismantling Barriers:
Action Plan and Dismantling Barriers: Targets, attached
to the end of this response[15],
set out the action which has been and will be undertaken.
15