Speeches

Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her Saudi Arabian counterpart on the use of the advanced cyber-crime courses provided by the College of Policing to target pro-democracy activists in that country.

Mike Penning

We are rightly proud of the British model of policing by consent and of the high level of skill and expertise across policing in this country. The College of Policing, which is independent of Government, ensures that respect for human rights and dignity is integral to each programme it delivers.

Course developers and trainers are required to include a bespoke human rights and ethical decision-making element in each course. Before undertaking any international work, the College refers to the International Policing Assistance Board (IPAB), which assesses all requests against British values and interests. IPAB comprises policing representatives and those from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development and devolved administrations.

The College always acts in accordance with HM Treasury’s guidelines on ‘Managing Public Money’, which includes guidance on commercial charging rates. The Home Office do not keep records on the travel of College of Policing officials.