Police forces in the United Kingdom are being hampered by an excessive focus on diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to a report by the think tank Policy Exchange. The report estimates that these programs have cost police forces and Police and Crime Commissioners at least £631 million since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, an amount that could fund thousands of frontline officers.
David Spencer, head of crime and justice at Policy Exchange, stated that the report reveals the "astonishing cost of the police's DEI obsession." He argued that police forces have attempted to embed "radical ideology" into British policing, which he believes contradicts the foundational principle of acting "without fear or favor." The report suggests these policies are driven by senior police officials rather than politicians.
Policy Exchange cited cases such as the Nottingham stabbings, the Southport incident, and the murder of Henry Nowak as examples where perceived concerns about racial bias may have interfered with law enforcement's handling of criminal behavior. The think tank suggests that the pursuit of "equality of outcomes" amounts to a "rejection of policing's duty to act without fear or favour and the implementation of two-tier policing."
The report's analysis estimates that the £631 million expenditure includes approximately £431 million for the staffing costs of DEI training, £177 million for roles with a DEI component, and £23 million for external training and consultancy. These figures are extrapolated from data provided by five constabularies in England.
The think tank's report points to specific incidents. In the case of Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham, a public inquiry heard that a mental health team assessing him years prior considered the "over-representation" of young Black men in detention when deciding to release him into the community. In the Southport attack, where Axel Rudakubana stabbed three young girls, a social worker reportedly accused the perpetrator's head teacher of racial stereotyping when the latter raised concerns about the student's behavior.
More recently, Hampshire Police arrested Henry Nowak as he was dying after being stabbed by Vickrum Digwa. The report notes that Nowak was falsely accused of racism by his killer. Policy Exchange contends that such instances are "very likely the result of the policy-making and decision-making which we show has taken place at the most senior levels of policing over recent years," rather than isolated incidents or the actions of individual officers.
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, criticized the spending as a "shocking waste of taxpayers' money" and urged police to "cancel all this DEI nonsense and spend the time and money catching criminals instead." He stated that the Conservative party aims to "put an end to identity politics in the state, including in policing, once and for all."
The report advocates for restoring the principle of "equality before the law" in policing, warning that "nothing less than the fundamental legitimacy of British policing is at stake."