Police told to ditch 'woke' culture wars and focus on catching criminals in damning review

A major Government-backed review has urged police forces across England and Wales to abandon "woke" culture wars and refocus on catching criminals.

The wide-ranging assessment of policing concluded that senior officers must remain "resolute" in "refusing to take sides" and instead concentrate on "the prevention, detection and prosecution of crime".

The report, one of the most comprehensive reviews of British policing in recent years, also accused police leaders of "preferencing certain groups" amid ongoing debate over allegations of two-tier policing.

It called for a fundamental "reset" of policing after identifying poor leadership, cronyism, corruption and inadequate support for frontline officers.

Lord Blunkett, the former Labour Home Secretary who co-led the review alongside former Conservative policing minister Lord Herbert, said there was "no room for culture wars or woke" causes in policing.

"The idea that people should be diverted onto other issues is entirely wrong," he said.

Lord Blunkett added that he had argued against officers becoming involved in political or cultural debates since the controversy surrounding police taking the knee during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It isn't the job of the police in our country to take sides of any sort, it's the job of the police to deliver," he said.

The review was commissioned by the College of Policing with the backing of the Home Office following a series of high-profile scandals, including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens.

It comes as debate over two-tier policing has intensified following the killing of Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed by officers as he lay dying after his attacker, Vickrum Digwa, claimed the teenager had racially abused him.

The case prompted police chiefs to review guidance stating that "racial equity" did not mean "treating everyone the same or being colour blind".

Sir Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, warned the service had "adopted the language of activism" and said official guidance had "over-corrected" in response to concerns about racism.

The report stressed that policing by consent depended on officers acting "without fear or favour".

"The background or identity of any perpetrator or victim of crime should have absolutely no bearing on the quality of treatment or respect which is given to them by the police service," it said.

The review also delivered a damning verdict on police leadership.

It found that no force in England and Wales had been rated outstanding for leadership by inspectors.

Since 2018, there have been 47 investigations into alleged misconduct involving chief officers, including claims of cronyism, nepotism, corruption and abuse of power for sexual purposes.

Eight chief constables or former chief constables are currently under investigation or awaiting disciplinary proceedings.

"The quality of police leadership today is not consistently effective enough, and is undermining the ability of the whole workforce to meet public expectations," the report concluded.

The review also found confidence among rank-and-file officers was low, with just 13 per cent of constables and 17 per cent of sergeants saying they worked in a "well-led and managed organisation".

It warned promotion processes had become "subjective, inconsistent and shaped in the image of the leaders", creating "fertile ground" for nepotism.

Lord Blunkett said an "ethical reset" was now needed across policing.

"Getting rid of what we describe - and I don't use the word lightly - as nepotism within the service... all of that leads us to believe that a new ethical reset is required," he said.

Among its recommendations, the review called for the creation of a Sandhurst-style leadership academy for senior officers, nationally accredited training for all new recruits and a new senior constable rank recognising experienced frontline officers.

Policing Minister Sarah Jones said: “We know that police leaders face significant challenges and that current structures do not allow them to realise the full potential of their workforce.

"We have also seen too many examples where leadership has failed to meet the standards that officers and the public rightly expect.

“Every officer deserves access to high-quality training, development and leadership throughout their career and we know this is not being delivered consistently.”