Now officers taught the PC way to banter

POLICE officers are to be trained how to engage in ‘fun’ banter with colleagues without upsetting or offending anyone.

The three-hour workshop aims to reduce bullying and harassment claims by pointing out how playful or teasing remarks can overstep the mark.

Labelled ‘banter training’, it has been offered to police and civilian staff on the force in Leicestershire, which claims it will teach them how to negotiate the ‘fine line between fun, stress-reducing, morale-raising workplace communication and a harmful, debilitating and persistent verbal barrage’.

Lynne Woodward, from the force’s diversity

and inclusion unit, said: ‘The training has been delivered after questions from the workforce about what is acceptable and what isn’t, as there have been occasions where the actions of some have caused offence to others.

‘This voluntary session aims to provide our officers and staff the opportunity to have a practical discussion about how comments made, either in conversation or online, can be interpreted by others.’

But some employees in the Leicestershire force branded it a waste of public money, as the region has been hit by a 20 per cent increase in crime in a year while losing 500 officers since 2009 due to spending cuts of £40million.

One officer told The Sun: ‘It’s incredible

with crime going the way it is at the moment – especially stabbings – that they’re talking about banter.

‘Banter is part and parcel of the police force. It gets you through the stress and trauma of the things you deal with.’

According to an outline of the course, being held next week, it ‘puts political correctness in its place, recognises the benefits of fun at work and focuses on the risks’.

It added that it would give practical advice for ‘tackling banter in the workplace’ and teach officers how to minimise the risk of employment tribunal claims.

Leicestershire Police said it was not possible to provide the cost of providing the training course.