BRITISH police provided training for countries with poor human rights records across more than a dozen sessions, it was revealed today.

England and Wales’s professional body for policing has trained Egyptian and Saudi Arabian officers on 13 occasions since 2023, a freedom of information request by Declassified UK has found.

The College of Policing went forward with programmes despite both countries being designated “human rights priority countries” by the Foreign Office in 2024, due to a high number of executions and arbitrary detention of political opponents.

Saudi Arabian human rights defender and founder of Britain-based group Alqst, Yahya Assiri, said it is “clear that these states are not seeking such training out of a genuine commitment to reform, but rather to bolster their legitimacy and implicate the UK in ongoing violations.”

A brochure for a 2014 programme from the College of Policing included modules for investigations, dealing with the media and human rights.

Training sessions were also provided during the same period to the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Singapore, which have carried out executions in the last three years, Declassified reported.

Reprieve’s Jeed Basyouni said the training “risks British police getting mixed up in serious human rights abuses.

“For example, Saudi police continue to arrest child protesters who are at risk of death penalty charges — and child defendants like Youssef al-Manasif and Jawad Qureiras remain at risk of execution after joining protests.”

The College of Policing’s Luke Edwards said: “Our international training is underpinned by rigorous human rights assessment and oversight.

“Respect for human rights, the rule of law, accountability and ethical policing is embedded throughout our standards, guidance and training.”