Sandhurst-style police training centre ‘needed to tackle troubling cultural issues’

Lord Herbert argues Sandhurst-style training could help ‘troubling cultural problems’ in policing

A sergeant major shouts instructions at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (PA)

A Sandhurst-style training centre for officers is needed to tackle “troubling cultural problems” in policing, the head of the College of Policing has said.

Lord Herbert called for a purpose-built facility as well as more money and emphasis on training to instil necessary values among all ranks in policing.

It comes a week after the police watchdog uncovered “disgraceful” racism, disability discrimination, misogyny, bullying, homophobia and sexual harassment in the ranks of the Metropolitan Police.

Officers shared messages about raping and hitting women, as well as the deaths of black babies and the Holocaust.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said this was “not isolated or simply the behaviour of a few ‘bad apples’.”

Speaking to The Telegraph, former police minister Lord Herbert said there had been a failure to invest in training and this was partly to blame for the “troubling cultural problems” within policing.

He said it was damaging the police’s reputation – and outlined how a national training academy would help. It could also help police combat crime and make the most of new technology, he said.

He wrote: “Modern policing requires a cultural shift to value training and professional development, affording it more resources than the tiny sum allocated from the service’s £16bn annual budget in England and Wales.”

He was critical of the closure of Bramshill, the main police staff training centre, and said courses were now run in “what some have described as a shed”.

Lord Herbert helped establish the College of Policing a decade ago and said it was “sobering” to see some problems facing the police have gotten worse.

Following the police watchdog’s findings, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has demanded a plan from the Metropolitan Police commissioner within weeks.

He said his confidence in Dame Cressida Dick hinges on how she addresses problems with the culture at the force and her proposals to win back people’s trust – which has been “knocked and shattered as a consequence of these cases”.

Scotland Yard has come under growing pressure following a series of failings, including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.

Dame Cressida faced calls to resign at the time – but in September she saw her term extended by a further two years until April 2024.