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The Sun
42 minutes ago
- Business
- The Sun
How police forces are demanding more taxpayers' cash to fight crime while spending millions on ‘woke' diversity schemes
MISGUIDED police forces are demanding extra public money while spending millions of pounds on 'woke' diversity schemes, we can reveal. Five of Britain's biggest constabularies this week wrote an open letter to the government insisting they are desperately short of funds, despite being handed almost £1billion extra by the Home Office. 1 Yet a Sun probe today shows the extraordinary amounts being spent on Diversity, Equality and Inclusion roles by the very same forces. Freedom of Information requests show that in the last year, the Met spent £3.6million, West Yorkshire Police blew over £1million, West Midlands Police paid out £222,378 and Greater Manchester Police spent £335,653. Merseyside Police — which failed to respond to our FOI request — is believed to have allocated a similar amount. In total, this would have paid for an extra 139 bobbies on the beat, given the average police officer salary is £35,890. Meanwhile, around one million work days are lost to diversity training across the public sector, according to pressure group Conservative Way Forward, draining resources. 'High workloads' The Met employed 51 officers and staff in 'culture, diversity and inclusion' roles between April 2024 and February. This was paid for by record funding of £1.148billion, which accounted for 27 per cent of City Hall's annual budget — up eight per cent on 2016. Across the country, a total of £19.5billion has been allocated for policing as part of the government's Plan for Change programme, an increase of £987million on last year. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley shoplifting last year. Total recorded crime went up by two per cent in the same period, according to the Office for National Statistics, while sexual offences were up six per cent, robbery rose four per cent and theft increased by eight per cent. Phone muggings and stabbings have also spiralled, with ONS data showing 188 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument were recorded per 100,000 of the capital's population last year, the highest in the UK. 'It's mind-boggling!' Woke cops need to prevent REAL crime and stop policing tweets, rages Reform MP Meanwhile, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has rated the Met 'inadequate' at investigating crime. Its 2025 report states: 'Supervisors in investigation teams have little or no training in how to manage crime workloads.' Police Federation Of England and Wales acting chair Tiffany Lynch has warned 'we are on track to lose 10,000 officers a year' as senior bobbies quit — and it will cost £10billion over five years to replace them. Meanwhile, West Yorkshire Police — whose Chief Constable John Robins put his name to this week's letter — has been slammed for prioritising ethnic minority recruits. There was outrage this year when it was reported that under-represented groups were allowed to submit an 'early expression of interest' in work before white British recruits. The force denied discrimination, but one Facebook user raged: 'So much for diversity and inclusion.' Another added: 'Surely this is racist. This wouldn't be allowed the other way around?' Robins' force budgeted £1,069,188 to employ 19 inclusion and diversity staff, in both uniformed and non-uniformed roles. They include three diversity, equality and inclusion officers costing £45,924 a year each; two administrative assistants costing £30,912 a time; and six uniformed positive action ambassadors on £59,844. A uniformed positive action inspector costs £94,272 per annum, and the constabulary is also paying out £361,000 to an external provider for equality and diversity training. While that is happening, West Yorkshire has the highest crime rate of the five constabularies calling for more funds, with 115.2 recorded crimes per 1,000 of the population last year, ONS data shows. Sexual offences are up 11 per cent, vehicle offences are up four per cent and shoplifting is up by two per cent. The latest HMICFRS evaluation concluded West Yorkshire's crime investigation 'requires improvement'. The report said team supervisors complained of being 'affected by high workloads, dealing with daily prisoner demand and supporting inexperienced officers'. 'Saddled with debt' Elsewhere, West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford has fears of an 'overstretched police service saddled with debt, broken buildings and outdated technology'. He cut his DEI team in half last year after his force spent £184,602 on diversity and inclusion training since 2019. This year, it employed a sergeant and an inspector in DEI roles, earning at least £112,605 between them based on current annual pay brackets. It also retained two police staff earning £81,000 in total for doing a similar role, while £28,773 was spent on DEI training. ONS data shows West Midlands Police recorded the highest rate of knife crime outside London last year — 156 offences per 100,000 people. There was a 32 per cent increase in shoplifting during the same period, and the force was rated inadequate in how it investigates crime, protects vulnerable people and manages offenders/suspects in its most recent inspection, which concluded that 46 per cent of its investigations are not effective. The report states: 'We found the force hasn't made enough progress improving the standard of its investigations since our last inspection. 'As a result, not enough offenders are being brought to justice. 'We acknowledge the force does a good job of investigating many of the most serious crimes. But in our crime file review, we judged that only 54 of 100 investigations were effective. This is concerning.' The Met wants more funding after a 41% rise in theft and a 58% hike in shoplifting last year yet it employed 51 officers and staff in 'culture, diversity and inclusion' roles Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson is another calling for more funding. His force is currently spending £335,653 a year paying three uniformed officers promoting diversity and inclusion, although 'all training is completed in-house,' according to a response to our FOI request. Residents are concerned that sexual offences were up five per cent last year, while shoplifting rose by 20 per cent. HMICFRS inspectors have flagged issues with how the force monitors registered sex offenders, finding a backlog of 1,490 home visits had built up by 2023. The report added: 'At the end of our inspection period, the force told us that backlogs had been reduced to 163 overdue visits. As a result, it is considering keeping the structure it developed as part of its successful plan to reduce overdue visits.' Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Serena Kennedy, was another signatory, along with Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council. Shocking statistics Sexual offences rose by seven per cent on Merseyside last year, according to the ONS, while shoplifting jumped by 13 per cent and drug offences rose eight per cent. The latest HMICFRS review found a significant backlog of sex offender cases, stating: 'The force doesn't have clear governance or oversight . . . to manage risks posed by online child abuse offenders. 'There are unnecessary delays in consulting with social services to start safeguarding children.' The Taxpayers' Alliance say UK police diversity jobs have increased by almost a third in three years, costing £15million since the beginning of the 2021-22 financial year. The drive is already proving controversial, with Hertfordshire Constabulary criticised for advising staff not to use 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' when addressing the public. And Staffordshire Police was blasted for warning that gender specific words such as 'policeman' may be illegal. Phrases including 'man up' and 'grow a pair' also became a no-no. Chris Philp MP, Shadow Home Secretary, told The Sun on Sunday: 'While families fear walking the streets and knife crime surges in Labour-run cities, their police forces are blowing millions on box-ticking vanity schemes. 'This nonsensical obsession with diversity has to end. Anything else is a waste of time and money.' A Met Police spokesman said: 'This team works to raise standards across the Met. This work will deliver better outcomes for victims.' And Catherine Hankinson, West Yorkshire's Deputy Chief Constable, said: 'Officers, staff and volunteers work tirelessly to reduce crime, protect the vulnerable and reassure the public. We aim to deliver the best possible service while remaining committed to improving equality, diversity and inclusion.'
The Irish Sun
42 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
How police forces are demanding more taxpayers' cash to fight crime while spending millions on ‘woke' diversity schemes
MISGUIDED police forces are demanding extra public money while spending millions of pounds on 'woke' diversity schemes, we can reveal. Five of Britain's biggest constabularies this week wrote an open letter to the government insisting they are desperately short of funds, despite being handed almost £1billion extra by the Home Office. Advertisement 1 Woke police forces reckon they should get more government funding Credit: PA Yet a Sun probe today shows the extraordinary amounts being spent on Freedom of Information requests show that in the last year, the Met spent £3.6million, West Yorkshire Police blew over £1million, West Midlands Police paid out £222,378 and Greater Manchester Police spent £335,653. Merseyside Police — which failed to respond to our FOI request — is believed to have allocated a similar amount. In total, this would have paid for an extra 139 bobbies on the beat, given the average Meanwhile, around one million work days are lost to diversity training across the public sector, according to pressure group Conservative Way Forward, draining resources. Advertisement Read More on UK News 'High workloads' The Met employed 51 officers and staff in 'culture, diversity and inclusion' roles between April 2024 and February. This was paid for by record funding of £1.148billion, which accounted for 27 per cent of City Hall's annual budget — up eight per cent on 2016. Across the country, a total of £19.5billion has been allocated for policing as part of the government's Plan for Change programme, an increase of £987million on last year. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is calling for more funding after the capital saw a 41 per cent rise in theft and a 58 per cent hike in Advertisement Most read in The Sun Total recorded crime went up by two per cent in the same period, according to the Office for National Statistics, while Phone muggings and 'It's mind-boggling!' Woke cops need to prevent REAL crime and stop policing tweets, rages Reform MP Meanwhile, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services has rated the Met 'inadequate' at investigating crime. Its 2025 report states: 'Supervisors in investigation teams have little or no training in how to manage crime workloads.' Advertisement Police Federation Of England and Wales acting chair Tiffany Lynch has warned 'we are on track to lose 10,000 officers a year' as senior bobbies quit — and it will cost £10billion over five years to replace them. Meanwhile, West Yorkshire Police — whose Chief Constable John Robins put his name to this week's letter — has been slammed for prioritising ethnic minority recruits. There was outrage this year when it was reported that under-represented groups were allowed to submit an 'early expression of interest' in work before white British recruits. The force denied discrimination, but one Facebook user raged: 'So much for diversity and inclusion.' Advertisement Another added: 'Surely this is racist. This wouldn't be allowed the other way around?' Robins' force budgeted £1,069,188 to employ 19 inclusion and diversity staff, in both uniformed and non-uniformed roles. They include three diversity, equality and inclusion officers costing £45,924 a year each; two administrative assistants costing £30,912 a time; and six uniformed positive action ambassadors on £59,844. Advertisement A uniformed positive action inspector costs £94,272 per annum, and the constabulary is also paying out £361,000 to an external provider for equality and diversity training. While that is happening, West Yorkshire has the highest crime rate of the five constabularies calling for more funds, with 115.2 recorded crimes per 1,000 of the population last year, ONS data shows. Sexual offences are up 11 per cent, vehicle offences are up four per cent and shoplifting is up by two per cent. The latest HMICFRS evaluation concluded West Yorkshire's crime investigation 'requires improvement'. Advertisement The report said team supervisors complained of being 'affected by high workloads, dealing with daily prisoner demand and supporting inexperienced officers'. 'Saddled with debt' Elsewhere, West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford has fears of an 'overstretched police service saddled with debt, broken buildings and outdated technology'. He cut his DEI team in half last year after his force spent £184,602 on diversity and inclusion training since 2019. This year, it employed a sergeant and an inspector in DEI roles, earning at least £112,605 between them based on current annual pay brackets. Advertisement It also retained two police staff earning £81,000 in total for doing a similar role, while £28,773 was spent on DEI training. ONS data shows West Midlands Police recorded the highest rate of knife crime outside London last year — 156 offences per 100,000 people. There was a 32 per cent increase in The report states: 'We found the force hasn't made enough progress improving the standard of its investigations since our last inspection. Advertisement 'As a result, not enough offenders are being brought to justice. 'We acknowledge the force does a good job of investigating many of the most serious crimes. But in our crime file review, we judged that only 54 of 100 investigations were effective. This is concerning.' The Met wants more funding after a 41% rise in theft and a 58% hike in shoplifting last year yet it employed 51 officers and staff in 'culture, diversity and inclusion' roles Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson is another calling for more funding. His force is currently spending £335,653 a year paying three uniformed officers promoting diversity and inclusion, although 'all training is completed in-house,' according to a response to our FOI request. Advertisement Residents are concerned that sexual offences were up five per cent last year, while shoplifting rose by 20 per cent. HMICFRS inspectors have flagged issues with how the force monitors registered sex offenders, finding a backlog of 1,490 home visits had built up by 2023. The report added: 'At the end of our inspection period, the force told us that backlogs had been reduced to 163 overdue visits. As a result, it is considering keeping the structure it developed as part of its successful plan to reduce overdue visits.' Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Serena Kennedy, was another signatory, along with Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council. Advertisement Shocking statistics Sexual offences rose by seven per cent on Merseyside last year, according to the ONS, while shoplifting jumped by 13 per cent and The latest HMICFRS review found a significant backlog of sex offender cases, stating: 'The force doesn't have clear governance or oversight . . . to manage risks posed by online child abuse offenders. 'There are unnecessary delays in consulting with social services to start safeguarding children.' The Taxpayers' Alliance say UK police diversity jobs have increased by almost a third in three years, costing £15million since the beginning of the 2021-22 financial year. Advertisement This nonsensical obsession with diversity has to end. Anything else is a waste of time and money Chris Philp The drive is already proving controversial, with Hertfordshire Constabulary criticised for advising staff not to use 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' when addressing the public. And Staffordshire Police was blasted for warning that gender specific words such as 'policeman' may be illegal. Phrases including 'man up' and 'grow a pair' also became a no-no. 'This nonsensical obsession with diversity has to end. Anything else is a waste of time and money.' A Met Police spokesman said: 'This team works to raise standards across the Met. This work will deliver better outcomes for victims.' Advertisement And Catherine Hankinson, West Yorkshire's Deputy Chief Constable, said: 'Officers, staff and volunteers work tirelessly to reduce crime, protect the vulnerable and reassure the public. We aim to deliver the best possible service while remaining committed to improving equality, diversity and inclusion.'
BBC News
11 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
West Yorkshire Police cadets reunite 50 years after passing out
A group of more than 60 former police cadets have reunited after 50 years, with some travelling from the US and Australia to meet up with were teenagers when they joined West Yorkshire Police in 1975, and trained and volunteered with the force before a passing out parade in the famously hot summer of of them went on to become police officers, including organiser Rob Winslade, 65, who retired 14 years ago and now runs a family dog walking business in said there had been four reunions, including 1985, 1995 and 2005, but 2025's had been the best-attended. "Some people have not seen each other since the passing out parade, so there was plenty of catching up to do," he said."It went absolutely fantastic. As one of the lads described it at the end, it was an epic event. It was really special."The group met at Wakefield Sports Club, over the road from the now-closed Bishopgarth House police training centre where they originally Winslade – who had a 30-year career in the force after his stint in the cadets – said it was "genuinely lovely" to reminisce with old friends."It was lovely to see so many people after 50 years, including two of our old sergeants who were the bane of our lives when we were 16."One of our sergeants, Bronwyn, it was the first time in 27 years of retirement that she had been to any police reunion. So we were quite touched that she was there."He said the force had changed completely in the last 50 years."It had to move with the times," he said. "But I don't bemoan it, whatever is happening now is relevant to now and what I did was relevant to then."His most memorable experience as an officer was when he volunteered for duty at Princess Diana's funeral in September 1997, he said."Myself and about 15 police motorcyclists volunteered. We rode down to London and were looking after the motorway junctions."That was possibly the standout point of my career."We got to the motorway bridge at Junction 14/15 at Northampton early, just as the funeral cortege set off."When it left London people started to come out to the motorway and when the cortege went past the motorway was absolutely full of people, with just enough room for the cortege to get through. I was very emotional." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
School pays tribute to girl after reservoir death
A secondary school has paid tribute to one of its pupils who died after falling into a reservoir in West Yorkshire. Police confirmed on Thursday a body had been recovered from Baitings Reservoir near Ripponden, after reports a teenage girl had fallen in. In an email to parents seen by the BBC, Crossley Heath School in Halifax named the girl as Year 8 pupil Qudsiyah Mahmood, saying she was a "bright, kind and friendly young person who brought happiness to our school". Head teacher Dean Jones added: "Our thoughts and prayers are very much with her family now and always". West Yorkshire Police said it was called to the reservoir dam at 13:15 BST on Wednesday to reports of a person in the water. Fire crews and ambulances also attended the scene and underwater searches took place. In his email, Mr Jones said that fellow pupils would be offered support in school and that staff were "here to listen and help" families affected. He said: "I am ever so sorry to share this news. "However, as a school family I want you to know we are there side by side with Qudsiyah's family, all in our Crossley's school family and our community to offer the best support we can." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
The Sun
a day ago
- General
- The Sun
Eight-car pile up leaves biker fighting for life after major motorway SHUT for 7 hours and cops probing crash
A BIKER is fighting for their life after an eight-vehicle crash that shut down a motorway for over seven hours. West Yorkshire Police said a 51-year-old motorcyclist suffered life-threatening injuries. They were rushed to hospital where they remain in a critical condition. The biker was hurt in a horror crash on the M62, near Huddersfield, at 5.40pm. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
