Community Relations

Ms Abbott
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is being provided to neighbourhood police teams on dealing with radicalisation in their local communities; where such courses are delivered; and what the duration of such courses is.

Mr. McNulty
I refer to the reply I gave on 19 November 2007, Official Report, column 504-05W to my hon. Friend, the Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane).

In addition to the advice and training already available to Neighbourhood Policing Teams, some also receive bespoke ‘Intelligence and Community Engagement’ training, which examines the issues relating to neighbourhood policing teams’ engagement with local communities. This training, which lasts a day and is delivered in force, is being piloted in four police forces and consideration is now being given to its wider dissemination. Police personnel are also able to learn about how to deal with radicalisation through a specific internet website.

The National Policing Improvement Agency is currently completing a major Training Needs Analysis for Counter-Terrorism which includes an analysis of training needs in the areas of radicalisation and extremism. The new learning programme will be available in 2008.