Over 11,000 people have signed a petition calling upon the Home Secretary to launch a formal review into police standards and training in light of claims of two-tier policing.
The idea of two-tier policing became particularly prominent following the 2024 riots in the wake of the Southport murders. Police were accused of taking a heavy-handed approach to white working-class protesters, and a softer one with Muslims.
The basic idea is that favoured groups are given considerable leeway, while unfavoured groups can expect to face the full force of the law.
The petition was brought by Christian Concern, which highlighted the case of Luke Salmons, a Christian Police Community Support Officer who was suspended and nearly banned from ever becoming a police officer after raising questions about Islam in a training session.
Salmons alleged that during a training course in 2024 instructors privileged Islam over all other religions and chanted “Islam is a religion of peace.” In a later session that apparently invited “open discussion” Salmons raised questions on the Middle East, antisemitism and the normalisation of underage sex.
Two days later he was suspended and told he would be effectively barred from policing. An appeal lodged with the support of the Christian Legal Centre eventually overturned the suspension, but Salmons left anyway, saying he felt “pushed out”.
Christian Concern said, “Evidence from Luke’s case suggests that training often promotes one-sided ideological viewpoints, discourage legitimate questioning, and penalise officers who express lawful Christian beliefs.
"These concerns are not confined to one case. There is a growing belief among officers and staff that expressing mainstream Christian beliefs, or questioning certain narratives, especially Islam, can carry professional consequences.”
The group added that if partisan training is being carried out in forces, it will undermine any notions that the police are fair and impartial, and damage trust in the police.
A part of the petition to the Home Secretary states, “Mr Salmons’ experience shows how ideological conformity is being spread through police training. This groupthink is leading to grave injustices and stopping police from treating people fairly. It is leading to two-tier justice.
“Please set up a formal review into policing standards and training to root out biased organisations and training materials that privilege some groups over others.”
