The Police and Black People: The Training Response

Abstract

Britain has a relatively long experience of providing training for police officers on race relations. This experience dates back to the 1960s, although it is only during the 1980s that the task has been approached in a systematic way. Several different approaches to providing training on race relations have been attempted, and some appear to be more successful than others. After sketching the background, this chapter will outline the development of police training on race relations in Britain, and then describe some of the main courses and programmes that have been used. The chapter concludes with an overall appraisal of the progress that has been made, especially with regard to the balance between care and control aspects of policing, and sets out some key considerations for the way forward.

This chapter is an updated version of an article entitled ‘Police Training on Ethnic Relations in Britain’, which originally appeared in Police Studies, Vol. 13, No. 2, Summer 1990, pp. 47-56. Copyright © 1990 by Anderson Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of the Publishers. Published by Anderson Publishing Co., Cincinnati.