A course for detectives in training in the metropolitan police has been scrapped after university teachers said it was “racist, misogynistic and discriminatory” and refused to teach it.
The training program included a case study involving stereotypes of immigrants from Asia and the Middle East as drug dealers, money launderers, rapists and child molesters, the Times reported.
The paper reports that the case study featured a role-playing scenario that centered on a Turkish drug dealer using a Gurkha knife to kill a Chinese money launderer.
The training program is given at four o’clock London universities – Brunel, Anglia Ruskin, the University of West London and the University of East London – and is outsourced to a private company Babcock International.
According to the Timethe Met’s crime academy and retired officers helped draft and approve the case study, which also includes incest, slitting the throat, self-mutilation and assaulting a disabled child.
Police have maintained that the content was prepared by the “academic team” with “operational input from the Met, including colleagues from the Crime Academy.”
A course given to trainee detectives at the Metropolitan Police has been scrapped after university lecturers said it was ‘racist, misogynistic and discriminatory’ and refused to teach it
The controversy is the latest in a series of blows to the military that was dramatically placed in special measures for the first time last month over concerns about “serious or critical deficiencies.”
A letter from HMICFRS cited numerous failures at Britain’s largest force, including the murder of Sarah Everard by Officer Wayne Couzens, the ‘racially profiled’ shutdown and search of Team GB’s GB sprinter Bianca Williams and the comic book search of a 15-year-old black schoolgirl known as Child Q. It follows further scandals, including the failure to properly investigate serial killer Stephen Port and the revelation of racist WhatsApp messages exchanged by officers at Charing Cross Police Station.
University teachers who had to teach the controversial case study called it discriminatory.
Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera, the UEL course director and a founding member of the National Black Police Association, said in an email to his teachers seen by the Times: “The material is absolutely terrible. The scenario is discriminatory.’
Meanwhile, Gurpal Virdi, a former Met detective who taught the case study, said the content was why “nothing changed” in the police force, adding: “As educators, we cannot allow young minds to be tainted with racism and discrimination. .
“Police work is about keeping an open mind rather than a narrow-minded view.”
Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera, the course director at the University of East London (pictured above), described the course material as “absolutely appalling” and said it was “discriminatory”
Teachers at the universities where the content was taught refused to include the case study in their classes, prompting police to confirm that new interns taking the course this summer will be given another case study.
A spokesman said the force is working with Babcock International to provide recruitment training for new police officers and pointed out that Babcock is in turn working with the four London universities that offer the course.
The spokesperson added: “The professional teaching teams in Babcock and these universities are responsible for designing and delivering some elements of the training, which are then reviewed and approved by the Met before use.
All training content is consistent with the National Police Curriculum owned by the College of Policing.
The force said the content was subject to “robust quality assurance” through the universities.
The case study was taught on the Degree Holder Entry Program for Detectives and was first taught in September and October last year.
The course is taught by four universities, including the University of West London (pictured)
The spokesperson said: ‘Case studies are designed to address a range of complex issues provided by suitably qualified and experienced higher education lecturers from the universities who can ensure that material is appropriately contextualized and anchored in achieving of learning outcomes.’
The recruits were questioned about the content of the course and the Met says no initial issues have emerged regarding this case study.
But it added: ‘Subsequent feedback was received from a small number within the teaching team regarding the level of complexity and potential for misinterpretation in the delivery of the material to ensure sensitive diversity-linked topics are addressed on the properly framed and culturally sensitive.
“As a result, each university was given delegated authority to adapt the case study locally using their professional judgment and understanding of the capabilities of their local teaching team to ensure that any risk of misinterpretation was eliminated.”
The Met confirmed that starting this summer, new recruits will learn an alternative case study after acknowledging that “all case studies have a natural shelf life.”
A spokesperson for Babcock International told MailOnline: “Babcock works closely with the Metropolitan Police Service and works with four London-based universities to provide professional and academic solutions to support the training of new police officers for the Met.
“Both Babcock and the universities are working with a variety of additional experts and support organizations to develop certain parts of the training as needed. All content must be consistent with the National Police curriculum and training is reviewed and approved by the Met before use.
“The case study was used in September and October 2021. While no initial issues were identified through recruitment surveys, concerns were raised by a small number of educators.
As a result, each university was given delegated authority to adapt the case study and began developing new training materials at the end of 2021.
‘Since May 2022, all recruits follow a new program.’