Facilitated by the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University, the visit gave the officers an insight into policing across the region.
The police officers, from the Madhya Pradesh state of Central India, are responsible for policing over 70 million people. The state is policed by 126,000 officers, housed in 1,059 police stations.
Across the five days, they visited various areas of Hallam and South Yorkshire Police force and joined in discussions with academics and officers around the key issues we face here in South Yorkshire including cyber-crime, human trafficking, counter terrorism and violence against women and girls.
The Helena Kennedy Centre has worked in India since 2016, and has an active collaboration with Madhya Pradesh Police, which started with the project ‘Justice for Her’.
The project, developed in 2016, works in increase access to justice, rights and protection for women and girl victims through innovative training and capacity of police officers in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. The training programme has been embedded into the police academies in the four states.
Professor Sunita Toor, from Sheffield Hallam University's Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, said: "Our work and collaboration with Madhya Pradesh Police has been vibrant and active for many years. The study visit provided an opportunity for valuable Anglo-Indian conversations as well as the sharing of practice and knowledge regarding the many challenges of contemporary policing. This has been a high energy week where lasting connections have been made. The officers from both forces are brimming with positive feedback.”
The senior police officers from Madhya Pradesh spent time observing South Yorkshire Police's Public Order training team, meeting the Roads Policing Group and Digital Forensics Unit, and out on patrol with local Neighbourhood Policing Teams.
They also received a tour of Lifewise, an interactive scenario-based learning and training facility managed by the Joint Community Safety Department of South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
Assistant Chief Constable, Lindsey Butterfield from South Yorkshire Police, said: “We were delighted to have hosted the officers of Madhya Pradesh here in South Yorkshire this week as part of our ongoing relationship with Sheffield Hallam University. Whilst in many ways, policing looks different in Sheffield and Madhya Pradesh, the challenges we face daily are inter-connected, and therefore we can all benefit from learning from each other, which is what this partnership is about.
"The visit has allowed us to share our good practice with colleagues from India, as well learn from a service that polices such a vast and diverse area and hear about their challenges and priorities.”
This is the fourth visit of the Madhya Pradesh Police to Sheffield as part of the ongoing partnership between the Indian police force, South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield Hallam University.
Director General Anuradha Shankar from Madhya Pradesh Police said: “I am very happy that Madhya Pradesh Police has resumed its active association with Sheffield Hallam University through the second mid-career training programme of senior state police service officers.
“The wait was long as Covid took away precious colleagues and duty fatigue dispirited the best of us. This enriching week curated by Professor Suni Toor with South Yorkshire Police promises to renew our enthusiasm for learning, exchanging ideas, forming bonds of professional interest and personal growth.”
