A damning new report has raised concerns about the role of Muslim staff associations within British policing, arguing that some networks have become involved in political and policy debates that could conflict with the principle of police impartiality.
The report by Policy Exchange titled “Mixed Messages? Police Impartiality and the National Association of Muslim Police”, examines the NAMP and several force-level Muslim Police Associations.
Its authors argue that staff networks should primarily provide internal support to officers and staff, rather than publicly campaign on contentious political or operational issues.
Among the examples cited is the Metropolitan Police’s Association of Muslim Police, which invited Husam Zomlot, then the Palestinian head of mission in the UK, to address its 2024 annual general meeting.
The report also highlights the activities of Superintendent Hasson Shigdar, a senior West Midlands Police officer and vice-chair of the West Midlands Association of Muslim Police.
Policy Exchange says Shigdar, who is also head of Prevent for the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, has shared material online from organisations commenting on moral as well as legal questions, and has reposted material associated with preacher Bilal Philips.
Policy Exchange also points to NAMP’s 2026 annual general meeting, held at Greater Manchester Police premises, where speakers included a representative of the Muslim Council of Britain and Majid Iqbal, chief executive of the Islamophobia Response Unit.
Both the MCB and Iqbal had previously criticised Greater Manchester Police following the July 2024 Manchester Airport incident, during which a female officer suffered a broken nose. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz was subsequently sentenced to three and a half years in prison for assault.
Both the MCB and Iqbal had previously criticised Greater Manchester Police following the July 2024 Manchester Airport incident, during which a female officer suffered a broken nose. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz was subsequently sentenced to three and a half years in prison for assault.
If networks remain, it proposes strict governance requirements, including limiting their activities to internal support, ending public funding and police-duty time for network activities, and requiring publication of constitutions, accounts, minutes and other information.
Former Equality and Human Rights Commission chair Baroness Kishwer Falkner said staff networks should not stray into contested ideological, religious or political territory.
Meanwhile, former Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism chief Peter Clarke said the report raised important questions about the networks’ influence on policing policy.
Policy Exchange’s authors say the issue extends beyond Muslim staff associations, noting that previous research identified more than 200 police staff networks covering a wide range of demographics.
The report concludes that stronger controls are needed to ensure that staff networks do not create the impression that political campaigning or policy advocacy represents the official position of the police.
NAMP was also under fire in June for labelling Israel a “Zionist terror group”, to which Assistant Chief Constable Jon McAdam of the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “Some of the views expressed are deeply concerning and do not reflect the values, standards or operational position of British policing.
“We recognise the shock this has caused and are supporting the appropriate formal processes for complaints about its content.
“The NPCC remains committed to tackling antisemitic hate crime, supporting victims and working with trusted community partners, including the Community Security Trust, to protect the safety and confidence of Jewish communities.
“Policing exists to protect all communities. We will continue to uphold that duty with fairness, integrity and respect.”
Assistant Chief Constable Jon McAdam, the NPCC lead for staff support networks, said: “The National Police Chiefs’ Council is clear that policing must be, and be seen to be, impartial, with decisions based on law, evidence, risk and harm rather than the views of any individual, organisation or staff network.
“The role of national staff support networks is to support members of the police workforce and provide valuable insight and challenge, but they do not determine operational policing decisions or policy.
“Policing has already recognised the need for greater consistency in the governance and oversight of national staff networks, which is why we have been consulting on operating principles to govern their activities.
“Those proposals are intended to provide clearer structures and safeguards, not weaken impartiality requirements, and reflect wider recommendations made by HMICFRS regarding consistency and public confidence.
“More broadly, the NPCC is undertaking work to strengthen the relationship between inclusion, fairness and impartiality, recognising that public confidence depends both on listening to staff and communities while maintaining clear operational independence.”