NPCC chief urges officers to defend themselves when accused of being woke

11 November 2022

Police officers should “stand tall” and defend themselves against accusations of being woke, according to National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) chair Martin Hewitt.

Speaking at the NPCC’s joint annual conference with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Mr Hewitt said officers should defend their actions if they are effective in building public confidence.

He said: “Where we struggle to explain action we are taking or where it is not having a positive impact, we need to reconsider it.

“But if we are accused of being woke when taking action that we know is effective in building trust with people where that increased trust is needed, we must stand tall, champion and defend that action.”

Mr Hewitt’s comments were seen as a response to media criticism, most recently of the policing of the Just Stop Oil protests, and to remarks made by Home Secretary Suella Braverman who claimed there was a perception that officers spent too much time on symbolic gestures and initiatives on diversity and inclusion.

He said diversity and inclusion played an important part in crime-fighting and keeping the public safe and should not be dismissed as a diversion

Nottinghamshire Police Federation chair Simon Riley said media criticism of the police was often ill-informed or unfounded.

He said: “We are often vilified in the press and online by people who know very little about policing but want to try to make a political point.

“Our usual response is to ignore the criticism and get on with the job because I think actions speak louder than words.

“One of the latest criticisms of the police service is that we have become too ‘woke’ and this has become especially prevalent in the approach to the recent surge in protests by climate change activists.

“These labels are pretty meaningless when it comes to policing.  Very few officers worry about being described as ‘woke’ or otherwise when they go about their duties tackling crime, keeping people safe from harm and protecting their communities, often in very difficult and dangerous circumstances.”

APCC chairman Marc Jones said he did not think the term woke was helpful.

He said: “The term woke means different things to different people. And whenever you get a term that can be adapted in that way, it’s unhelpful.

“Because when somebody says a word meaning a particular thing, and other people hear what they want to hear, that’s always going to be challenging.”