Teesside pioneers Police ethics training

Cleveland Police has joined forces with the University of Teesside’s Centre for Police Research and Education, thanks to a training contract, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK – which will deliver ethics training all of the force’s 2,000 police and civilian staff.

All Cleveland Police staff will undertake a day’s training at the University’s Centre for Police Research and Education (CPRE). Those who wish to learn more can complete further reading and keep an ‘ethical diary’ of the challenges facing them. This will lead to a certificate, which acknowledges 60 hours work, while Sergeants and Inspectors will attend a week-long course. An advanced course is currently being devised for Senior Managers of Superintendent rank and above.

Cleveland Police have also seconded a senior officer to help teach the ethics courses. Inspector Kerry Anderson, 42, was selected to become involved in teaching the courses by Cleveland’s Chief Superintendent Kevin Pitt. Inspector Anderson has served with Cleveland Police for 25 years, joining as a cadet in 1975. Before his secondment to the University he was Human Resource Manager at Stockton Police office. He said: “There has been very little ethics training for the Police in the UK. We are looking to provide front-line staff with the tools to work through ethical dilemmas, which are an inherent part of law enforcement. The training will provide a decision making model for staff who face ethical and moral dilemmas in their work and enable them to make the right choices.”

In December 2000 CPRE arranged for Inspector Anderson to cross the Atlantic to see how USA police forces approach ethics training. He attended a course in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, delivered by the South-West Law Enforcement Institute. Inspector Anderson added: “The course was very good and gave me some ideas towards a decision making model. Although the USA’s crime problems differ to some degree, Police forces in the first world all face the same ethical dilemmas.”

Colin Dunnighan, Director of CPRE said: “Too few forces help officers address ethical dilemmas and yet officers come across such situations every day. The training will deal with issues such as corruption, professionalism and rule-bending activities. This is not a course for whistleblowers but it will help people who wish to report what they see as bad policing practices."

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