Police officers in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Cambridgeshire have been instructed to avoid using terms like “black sheep” and “blacklisted”, as well as gender-specific phrases such as “pregnant woman”, under a new EDI speech code that critics say could undermine free speech and impartiality.
The nine-page document, which was issued to staff in the three forces, suggests that such terms risk “portraying certain groups as inferior or superior to others”. The guide also recommends replacing “pregnant woman” with “pregnant person” and discourages the use of “Christian-centric” language such as “faith”.
The “reference resource for staff and officers” describes gender as “a social construct relating to behaviours and attributes”, adding that “there is a wider range of gender identities than just male and female”. This language reflects the principles of gender ideology, which are the subject of ongoing and contentious public debate. Critics argue that embracing such terminology infringes on the speech rights of gender-critical feminists, whose views are protected under equality law following Forstater v CGD Europe. For police officers, whose impartiality is critical, adopting language drawn from contested ideological frameworks made lead to perceptions of bias and a lack of neutrality in handling case work.
Officers are also encouraged to watch a BBC Bitesize video to learn the distinction between being “non-racist” and “anti-racist”. The document warns of “white fragility”, describing it as a state where “some white people are unable to cope with or process the information they receive about racism”. However, this concept, rooted in critical race theory, is heavily contested. As the Free Speech Union knows from its case files, it not only dismisses alternative, lawful views – such as those advocating a “colour-blind” approach to race – as inherently racist or hateful, but also risks framing dissenting voices as illegitimate. Again, this raises serious questions about whether police training should align itself so closely with one side of a divisive and unresolved philosophical debate.
Festus Akinbusoye, former Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Bedfordshire and the UK’s first black PCC, called the guidance “utterly mad”. He criticized its selective approach, questioning why terms like “blacklisted” and “black mark” were discouraged while “whitewashing” was not addressed. “Rightly, it is important that police officers and staff are courteous and professional in their conduct,” he said. “However, the idea that a word such as ‘blacklist’ is being discouraged because of its negative inference to black people while a word like ‘whitewash’ is not included raises concerns.”
Psychotherapist and campaigner James Esses, who first shared screenshots of the guide on social media, described the advice as “madness”. He pointed out that terms like “blacklisted” have origins unrelated to race, often associated with ideas of death or darkness, as with “black dog” in reference to depression. “It is concerning that the threat of being smeared for using these terms is becoming a reality,” he added.
Hertfordshire Police faced criticism in 2020 after arresting a mother, Kate Scottow, for referring to a transgender woman as a man on Twitter. Ms. Scottow was initially found guilty of causing “annoyance and anxiety” via persistent communications but later had her conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal. At the time, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson described her prosecution as an “abuse of manpower and police facilities”.
“This is not what our brave police officers signed up to do,” Mr. Johnson wrote. “Is this really the right way to fight crime?”
A spokesperson for the three forces defended the guide, stating: “We can confirm that this information has been made available as part of an online diversity, equality, and inclusion reference guide for our officers and staff. Our forces serve diverse communities, and we are pleased to have an inclusive, culturally intelligent workforce. The information aims to help our officers and staff identify differences in our communities and treat the public with respect.”
The guidance comes amid increasing scrutiny of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies, which risk stifling free speech. Since his inauguration, President Trump has introduced sweeping executive orders that have effectively purged (DEI) roles from his government.
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