New police training initiative aims to build trust and tackle anti-Jewish racism

Maiken Umbach, Professor of Modern History, and Chief Academic Adviser to the UK National Holocaust Museum, drew on her recognised strengths in social research, cultural understanding and community engagement, and led a team to ensure the training was informed by evidence and grounded in real-world perspectives.

Following three months of planning and extensive consultation with Jewish stakeholders and community members, the training – provided by the team of experts including Professor Umbach, Marc Cave, former CEO of the UK National Holocaust Museum, and Carol Laser, former Director of Security for CST (Community Security Trust) – marks a significant step forward in enhancing cultural understanding on anti-Jewish racism across West Midlands Police Force (more than 12,000 employees).

The programme forms part of the force’s wider commitment to improving cultural competency across a diverse range of ethnicities, religions and protected characteristics, and restore public confidence – the initiative comes in the wake of the widely criticised decision to ban supporters of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv against Aston Villa last year.

Professor Umbach said: “The National Holocaust Museum’s Racism Response Unit, which is generously funded by the Anglo Jewish Association (AJA), aims to make lessons from history relevant to combatting anti-Jewish racism in the UK today. Our programme is based on rigorous academic research, and is carefully calibrated to reach hearts and minds, drawing, among other resources, on survivor testimony from our collections.

“We are incredibly proud to have delivered versions of this training on several UK university campuses, to school leadership teams and to civic organisations, and are delighted that we were now given the opportunity to develop and deliver a tailor-made version to address challenges in the West Midlands Police Force.”

Last month, the historian helped deliver extensive in-person training to the force’s leadership; they are now preparing an adapted version for a force-wide roll-out in the coming months.

Professor Umbach added: “Under the leadership of acting Chief Constable Scott Green, West Midlands Police have been highly engaged with the process, and we are confident that the programme will transform organisational culture.”

The training combines an exploration of Jewish identities, past and present, with interactive scenarios that equip participants to recognise and tackle conspiracy theories and tropes that fuel anti-Jewish racism today. It builds on previous force-wide training initiatives, including Black history education, and will be followed by further sessions addressing anti-Muslim hate.

By supporting the design and delivery of this initiative, the University of Nottingham has reinforced its commitment to applying academic research to real-world challenges. Its involvement has helped ensure the programme reflects both scholarly insight and lived experience, contributing to a more informed and empathetic approach within policing.

The collaboration also forms part of West Midlands Police’s broader efforts to rebuild public trust and strengthen relationships with communities following previous incidents. The training was first delivered to senior leaders and will be refined before being rolled out across the entire workforce in the coming months.

This partnership underscores the value of collaboration between academia and policing in tackling hate crime and fostering mutual respect. Both organisations remain committed to ongoing engagement and continuous improvement to better serve communities across the UK.