HL Deb 20 June 1986 vol 476 cc1166-8

11.18 a.m.

Lord Mellish

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to alter present training methods for new recruits to the Metropolitan Police.

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, the training given to recruits to the Metropolitan Police is subject to a continuous process of review and improvement, which has been considerably adapted and developed in recent years. Further development will take account of a review of recruit and probationer training throughout England and Wales conducted by a mixed academic and police team led by the University of East Anglia.

Lord Mellish

My Lords, I am much obliged to the Minister for that reply. The Minister is aware that I asked the question because I am very pro-police. I want everything possible to be done to ensure that they are brought up to establishment so that they can do the job which they have been given to do. It is a job which sometimes receives very unfair criticism. I ask this question to try to be helpful. Is it a fact that the length of time of the training course is a deterrent for many youngsters coming into the force, and that quite a number leave because of the long period that awaits them? Is this a hold-up to the recruitment that is required?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Mellish. With regard to the training period, the noble Lord will remember that this was increased in 1982 from 15 weeks to 20 weeks, in the light of the report of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Scarman. In order to give greater emphasis to community and race relations and other problems of communication, there are no plans to reduce this period to 18 weeks. On the other hand, the development phase for training the trainers has recently been reduced from 97 weeks to 42 weeks due to pressures from the operational side. I think that the noble Lord will be interested to know that there has been a dramatic decrease in the drop-out rate, particularly over the last two years. It now stands at 2.4 per cent. compared with 20 per cent. 10 years ago and 8 per cent. three years ago.

Baroness Ewart-Biggs

My Lords, will the noble Viscount say whether there is any particular training course for members of the Metropolitan Police coming from the ethnic minorities? Will he also say whether he is satisfied with the proportion of recruits coming to the Metropolitan Police from the ethnic minorities?

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, there is no special course for recruits coming from the ethnic minorities. The noble Baroness will be interested to know that the percentage of non-white recruits compared to the total currently stands at 2.5 per cent. Recruitment campaigns specifically to attract non-whites are aimed at increasing that percentage, but there is cultural resistance, particularly among West Indian blacks, to the police as a career. It may also interest the noble Baroness to know that the drop-out rate for non-whites is exactly the same as for the remainder.

Lord Inglewood

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the 15 weeks training course to which he has just referred is shorter than the training course for police in all major West European countries? Indeed, in Germany the training course is two-and-a-half years and not 15 weeks.

Viscount Davidson

My Lords, I am most grateful to my noble friend. I was referring to the initial course at Hendon, which lasts 20 weeks. However, that is followed by attachment to the Metropolitan Police division, and then appointment as constable is confirmed after two years of street training and other training on the beat.