British police to get Sharia training

LONDON, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- British police recruits are to receive training on Islamic culture, the Koran and Sharia law as part of an effort to root out extremism.

Officials say understanding the communities they are policing will allow officers to gain trust, the Daily Mail reported.

A 40-page paper outlining the Prevent strategy also includes guidance for parents who find their children searching for Islamist Web sites and tactics to keep extremist inmates from converting other prisoners.

"Research last year revealed that the police service would be very low on the list of agencies that the Muslim community would turn to if they had concerns about a member of their community who embraced violent extremism," the paper said. "The police service has a long way to go in building a relationship of trust around these issues."

Reaction was mixed from the Conservative Party. Shadow Home Secretary called the training plan "sensible" as long as Sharia is not given equal standing with British law.

But Philip Davies, a Conservative legislator, said that immigrants should "sign up to being British."