Police recruits given training related to misogyny
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.025388
I note you seek access to the following information:
REQUEST 1:
Are police recruits given any form of training related to misogyny? Either regarding misogyny happening within policing, or misogynistic acts perpetrated by civilians outside of policing.
REQUEST 2:
Are police recruits in training, and qualified police officers, given training on issues specifically pertaining to Violence Against Women and Girls?
REQUEST 3:
Are qualified police officers given any supplementary training during their employment to deal with new 'trends' of misogyny and violence against women?
For example, in 2015 when controlling or coercive behaviour was made an offence. Or, more recently, in 2019 when up-skirting was made an offence.
Are all officers given statutory training on each 'new' problem as it emerges in law? Were all officers trained in understanding up-skirting, it's motivations and consequences?
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.
Please find below information pursuant to your request above.
Initial recruit training:
The Student Police Officer’s (SPO’s) mandatory learning in the first 17 weeks includes many subjects that aim to implement safeguarding of key characteristics such as Gender. In the first two weeks they cover Police Powers/Human Rights & Equality and Engagement & Inclusion: Changing perspectives, Unconscious Bias, The Equality Act and Decision Making.
Subjects covered in the following weeks are: Victims code, Victim Strategy Surveys, Victims and Witnesses Care, Working with Victims, What is Vulnerability, Vulnerable people and Risk, National Drivers for Policing Vulnerability, The importance of Policing Vulnerability.
SPO’s also have training on crimes that affect a high percentage of Londoners with a protected characteristic: Protection from harassment, stalking, hate crime, harmful practices and sexual offences legislation.
This learning is further established in their second and/or third year of academic and practical training. All SPO’s undertake research projects within their communities to enable them to understand the protected characteristics in their BCU’s and what that means for Policing.
All Police Officers must complete mandatory online training packages regularly, the specific packages appropriate to the concerns raised are: Equality Act 2010, Antisocial Behaviour: Your Powers, Rape: Myth & Reality and Rape: The initial response.
Training delivered to officers joining the Metropolitan Police Service focuses not only on the law but also on the officers’ personal attitudes and behaviours. The code of ethics and standards of professional behaviour underpins the learner journey for every officer joining the Met. Diversity and Inclusion as well as hate crime and domestic abuse are key sessions in the learner journey:
• Engagement and Inclusion Part 1 – changing perspectives: The purpose of this session is to enable student police officers to safely explore themes of prejudice and bias, and also to encourage listening to others
• Engagement and Inclusion Part 2- unconscious bias: The purpose of this session is to look specifically at unconscious bias and examine how it may impact the student police officers’ role in the future
• Engagement and Inclusion Part 3 –The Equality Act: This section focuses on the Equality Act and examines the different types of discrimination. The input provides an opportunity to look at how student police officers consider the Equality Act in line with their dealings with the public, it is also an opportunity to discuss equality within the Met.
• Domestic Abuse – understanding victims who have specific needs or characteristics that make them particularly vulnerable, such as age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, cultural background, immigration status and profession.
The term Violence Against Women and Girls appears in the Domestic Abuse input when discussing CPS Violence Against Women and Girl (VAWG) Strategy, “which provides the overarching framework for crimes identified as being primarily committed, but not exclusively, by men against women within the context of power and control”.
• Hate Crime – officers knowing the characteristics of hate crime, the legislation and how to respond to an allegation of Hate Crime across Disability, Race, Religion, Sexual orientation and Transgender and barriers to reporting Hate Crime. Stalking and harassment is also covered.
• Professional Standards - The code of ethics is delivered across the whole of the learning. Specific attention is paid to combatting discrimination, harassment and bullying of any description. https://www.college.police.uk/ethics/code-of-ethics
• Community Impact Task - Focuses on understanding how the local communities influence policing and how policing needs to support the communities. The Community Impact Task helps student officers to develop an awareness and understanding of the different communities and cultures, the context and history of policing in London, as well as the history of the specific local area they will police. This includes the cultural history, lived experiences and the challenges that communities in their BCU have faced.
Uniformed Officers - Violence against Women and Girls (VaWG)
VaWG is not specifically discussed, however it is arguably a theme or thread that runs through a large part of Safeguarding (whether this is to do with Child Sexual/Criminal Exploitation, Stalking, Harassment, etc.)
Ongoing/Additional Training
Where new ‘trends’ or existing issues are brought to light; training in the form of awareness is disseminated to existing Police Officers via internal communications, new policy updates and training by local training units across each of the Basic Command Units.
The MPS Intranet provides support and guidance in relation to emerging laws, this is often communicated via the Intranet front page or via the toolkit and policy pages.
In the examples given:
Coercive & Controlling Behaviour
This was a major legislation change brought about by the introduction of the Serious Crime Act 2015 (s76). This would have been disseminated via Internal Communications and updating of existing training packages, Policy Pages and our Intranet, as well as local Professional Development Day’s (PDD). This would have been co-ordinated centrally but delivered locally (at the time each Borough – 32 – would have delivered this). In July 2021 the MPS delivered Domestic Abuse Matters training. DA Matters training is designed to have long-term impact: changing and challenging the attitudes, culture and behaviour of the police when responding to domestic abuse. DA Matters training will help officers to understand what is meant by the term coercive control and challenges victim blaming. It will assist officers in recognising the high levels of manipulation used by those perpetrating it, including the way they interact with law enforcement.
Up Skirting
With the introduction of The Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019, this would have been highlighted, as above, with internal communications through our Intranet and updates to Policy Pages as well as updates to our relevant training packages. Officers are able to obtain further information via the Sexual Offence (Voyeurism Act) – Upskirting Policy page.
Other areas of concern have been highlighted in a similar way, such as Sexting or County Lines, Sexual/Criminal Exploitation, increase in Criminal Gangs using girls to transport drugs and/or weapons, etc.
Additional Training
For specialist officers in Detective areas as well as for promotion or transferring into specialist roles as Detective Sergeants, and beyond these are detailed below. These courses are mandatory for officers entering specialist fields or promotion.
Crime Academy Courses (predominantly Detective Roles)
Officers who work on specialist Public Protection departments would be required to complete relevant training that is appropriate to their role.
The three terms (Violence against women and girls, Abuse of Power for Sexual Purpose, and Police Sexual Misconduct) are rather wide topics. You could argue that most of the public protection courses have an overall theme of Violence against women (VAWG). Emerging trends would also be discussed within those course.
CSU course
On the Community Safety Unit (CSU) course is for specialist officers (Detectives) investigating Safeguarding Offences such as Domestic Abuse, Hate Crime, etc. There is no specific lesson on VaWG. However, the theme is threaded throughout the course in topics such as Domestic Abuse, Honour Based Violence, Forced Marriage, Stalking and Harassment. The duration of the CSU course is five days.
Coercive and Controlling behaviour is discussed specifically in a lesson, with the following Learning Outcomes.
1. State CSU definition of controlling behaviour
2. State the definition of coercive behaviour
3. Explain the difference between Controlling and Coercive behaviour
4. State the defence that a suspect may claim
5. Identify behaviours that may indicate a controlling or coercive relationship
SCAIDP course
In the Specialist Child Abuse Investigation Development Programme (SCAIDP), is for officers (Detectives) investigating Child Abuse. VAWG is covered in the sudden unexpected death in infants (SUDI) lesson, the whole lesson is to investigate and prevent child death.
We have the dealing with suspect’s lesson, which discusses preventative measures to protect victims & witnesses.
The understanding sex offender’s lesson relates to understanding (predominantly male) sexual offenders where the victims (predominantly females) are children of all ages.
The Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) /Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) lesson is looking towards spotting grooming techniques and identifying young people at risk of exploitation.
However, none of these lessons discriminate and therefore cover all victims, which would include women but don’t specifically mention VAWG per say. The course is aimed at victims under 18.
With respect to Abuse of Power for Sexual Purpose (APSP), we have a subject under the Policy & Procedure lesson, which covers allegations against professionals and Local Authority Officer (LADO) referral cases & Common Law Police Disclosure (CLPD). Again the Understanding sex offenders and the CSE/CCE lessons include aspects around this with regards to offenders using their position to identify and groom vulnerable children and young people.
The duration of the SCAIDP course is two weeks.
OCSAE course
Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) course is for officers (Detectives) investigating predominantly possession of indecent images. While predominantly focusing on the offender there are elements within the course around safeguarding of children and identification of those subject of the images. The theme for this is child victims of this abuse, predominantly girls.
The duration of the course is one week.
SOIT Course (Police Constable)
On the Sexual Offences Investigative Techniques (SOIT) Course, VAWG is discussed generally during the Stereotypes/myths/Trauma/Male Rape lesson.
Additionally specific areas covered include such emerging trends around Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA), as well as other emerging trends.
The duration of the SOIT course is four weeks.
SSAIDP Course
The Specialist Sexual Assault Investigation Development Programme (SSADP) is for officers (Detectives) investigating allegations of Sexual Assault. The primary focus is around sexual assault against women.
This also covers areas around Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault, and again any other emerging trends will be discussed.
The duration of the SSAIDP course is one week.
PIP 2 (Detectives) Course
Amongst other training, this covers both a day on safeguarding children and offences in relation to Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences. Again while VaWG is not specifically taught, the majority of the victims of these crimes are Women and Girls and the thread and focus is mostly in these areas of concern.
The duration of the PIP 2 course is four weeks.
ISDP Course
Investigator Supervisor Development Programme (ISDP) is for Detectives on promotion to Detective Sergeant supervising detectives investigating a wide range of crime types. Within the course the students receive training and advice around existing and emerging trends in Safeguarding Children, Child Sexual Exploitation and Domestic Abuse.
The duration of the course is three weeks.
DI Course
The Detective Inspector course (DI) is for officers progressing to the rank of Detective Inspector to investigative departments that include safeguarding. Safeguarding includes all aspects of VaWG – though again while this is not specifically covered as a distinct subject, the theme runs through the course.
Inputs on the course range from Domestic Abuse, OCSAE, Child Abuse Investigation, Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking. Usually delivered by Subject Matter Experts from specialist areas within the Metropolitan Police who disseminate current and emerging trends.
The duration of the course is three weeks.