POLICE are being told to use gender-neutral terms instead of calling people sir or ma’am.
Training for LGBT+ support officers tells them to “avoid assumptions about a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity”.
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Instead, they should say “you”, “everyone” and “all” to avoid causing offence.
In another exercise, officers are asked to talk about partners without using “gendered terminology such as husband, wife, he or she”.
Ex-officer Harry Miller, of the Fair Cop free speech campaign group, said it was “totally irrelevant to catching criminals”.
Tory chairman Oliver Dowden said police should focus on fighting crime, “not wasting time trying to condition officers who extend a basic courtesy to the people they serve”.
There are LGBT+ support officers across 43 forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is reported.
Hertfordshire Constabulary said 26 of its officers had the training with Bedfordshire colleagues in December.
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Insp Steve Alison, chairman of Herts Police LGBT+ Network, said: “This work is so important; nobody should be made to feel unsafe because of sexuality or gender identity.”
The force said: “Encouraging small actions by our liaison officers can go a long way to gaining the community’s trust.”
‘Ladies’ banned in Lords
THE term “ladies and gentlemen” has been banned in the Lords.
The House’s inclusive language guide tells its 800 members and 650 staff to instead say “one and all”, “folks” and “colleagues”.
“Man-made” should be “synthetic” or “artificial” and “manpower” be replaced with “workforce” and “staffing”.
Historian Andrew Roberts said: “It’s sad and pathetic that such ultra-wokery should have extended to the Lords.
“Why isn’t it renaming as the House of Lords, Ladies and Self-identifying Transsexual Peers?”
A Lords spokesman said: “Parliament strives to be an inclusive workplace where people are valued for the skills and experience they bring.”
