However, wiritng in The Guardian, the police chief insisted: “We have no interest in the politics and ideologies of the culture wars. Inclusion is an operational necessity.”
He added that the force “cannot be effective if large sections of society do not trust us, do not work with us or do not see policing as a service that understands their experiences.”
“An inclusive workforce is not a public relations exercise. It makes us better at protecting victims, catching criminals and preventing crime.”
But police forces have also faced pressure to scrap DEI training and approaches following the murder of Henry Nowak, who died in police custody after being falsely accused by his killer, Vickrum Digwa, of being racist.
Chief Constable Alexis Boon of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary issued an apology for the actions of officers on the night of his death, though he sternly denied allegations of two-tier policing.