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Asylum seekers have been told by police to treat women with respect and not harass them or risk being arrested.
Officers have drawn up a PowerPoint presentation for asylum seekers in hotels on the key points of “UK culture” which they are told they should respect.
It includes recognising that women “have the same rights as men”, so “must be treated with respect and courtesy”. “If you harass or abuse any female, you can be arrested,” it states.
The asylum seekers are warned that certain swear words can cause “great insult”, which could be considered a crime if used in public.
They are also told that violence of any kind is “not acceptable”, which is emphasised by being capitalised in the presentation. If arrested, they are warned that this could damage their asylum claim.
The initiative by Northamptonshire Police followed community and parental complaints over young male asylum seekers loitering near a primary school in the county, including claims of filming.
The police presentation, obtained under freedom of information laws, warns migrants against taking photos and videos.
Its disclosure comes just days after a 29-year-old Afghan asylum seeker tried to defend his rape of a 15-year-old Scottish schoolgirl by citing cultural differences and a language barrier.
Lawyers for Sadeq Nikzad, who entered the UK illegally on a small boat in 2023, told the court that he had not been educated about the significant cultural differences between the UK and Afghanistan. He was jailed for nine years for the sex attack, in Falkirk town centre.
Last week The Telegraph revealed that foreign nationals are responsible for more than a quarter of convictions for sex assaults on women.
Both Labour and Tory governments have faced a backlash over town centre hotels being used for asylum seekers and placing a strain on community relations.
At the end of March 2025, there were more than 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels although Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has pledged to axe their use by the end of the Parliament in 2029.
A record 17,278 migrants – about three quarters of whom are adult men – have crossed the Channel so far this year to claim asylum in the UK. That is up 40 per cent on last year and the highest number at this point in the year since the first arrivals in 2018.
The Northamptonshire Police presentation, titled Safety Advice and Local Information, has been delivered to asylum seekers in two hotels in the area. It opens with short statements about the police.
It advises them to walk on footpaths, not on roads, followed by guidance on how to cross the road safely by looking both ways. It says cars can travel at up to 70mph on main roads and 30mph in villages.
Under the heading “UK Culture”, it says: “Respect other people’s rights and freedoms – human rights. Females have the same rights as men, they must be treated with respect and courtesy. If you harass or abuse any female you can be arrested.
“Violence of any kind is not acceptable,” it adds.
A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: “Northamptonshire Police is dedicated to protecting people and preventing and detecting crime.
“As part of this, we carry out a wide range of work to support our communities. This includes visits to provide safety advice and other information to those seeking asylum, in order to foster a good understanding of how policing in the UK works.”
“We recognise the immense bravery shown by victims throughout their pursuit of justice, and protecting them remains central to our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
“We have already taken action to ban foreign nationals who commit sexual offences from being granted asylum, and will do everything in our power to pursue deportation from the UK.”
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Even the police are now acknowledging that illegal immigrants who come here and claim asylum pose a high risk to women and girls.
“We know that Afghan men are 22 times more likely to commit sex offences and the Casey Report said asylum seekers were disproportionately likely to be part of the rape gangs.
“This shows Labour’s loss of border control is now endangering British women and – with more illegal immigrants arriving on small boats so far this year than any year in history.
“There is a simple solution – every single illegal immigrant who arrives here should be immediately removed to a location outside Europe.”
Officers have drawn up a PowerPoint presentation for asylum seekers in hotels on the key points of “UK culture” which they are told they should respect.
It includes recognising that women “have the same rights as men”, so “must be treated with respect and courtesy”. “If you harass or abuse any female, you can be arrested,” it states.
The asylum seekers are warned that certain swear words can cause “great insult”, which could be considered a crime if used in public.
They are also told that violence of any kind is “not acceptable”, which is emphasised by being capitalised in the presentation. If arrested, they are warned that this could damage their asylum claim.
The initiative by Northamptonshire Police followed community and parental complaints over young male asylum seekers loitering near a primary school in the county, including claims of filming.
The police presentation, obtained under freedom of information laws, warns migrants against taking photos and videos.
Its disclosure comes just days after a 29-year-old Afghan asylum seeker tried to defend his rape of a 15-year-old Scottish schoolgirl by citing cultural differences and a language barrier.
Lawyers for Sadeq Nikzad, who entered the UK illegally on a small boat in 2023, told the court that he had not been educated about the significant cultural differences between the UK and Afghanistan. He was jailed for nine years for the sex attack, in Falkirk town centre.
Last week The Telegraph revealed that foreign nationals are responsible for more than a quarter of convictions for sex assaults on women.
Both Labour and Tory governments have faced a backlash over town centre hotels being used for asylum seekers and placing a strain on community relations.
At the end of March 2025, there were more than 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels although Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has pledged to axe their use by the end of the Parliament in 2029.
A record 17,278 migrants – about three quarters of whom are adult men – have crossed the Channel so far this year to claim asylum in the UK. That is up 40 per cent on last year and the highest number at this point in the year since the first arrivals in 2018.
The Northamptonshire Police presentation, titled Safety Advice and Local Information, has been delivered to asylum seekers in two hotels in the area. It opens with short statements about the police.
It advises them to walk on footpaths, not on roads, followed by guidance on how to cross the road safely by looking both ways. It says cars can travel at up to 70mph on main roads and 30mph in villages.
Under the heading “UK Culture”, it says: “Respect other people’s rights and freedoms – human rights. Females have the same rights as men, they must be treated with respect and courtesy. If you harass or abuse any female you can be arrested.
“Violence of any kind is not acceptable,” it adds.
A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: “Northamptonshire Police is dedicated to protecting people and preventing and detecting crime.
“As part of this, we carry out a wide range of work to support our communities. This includes visits to provide safety advice and other information to those seeking asylum, in order to foster a good understanding of how policing in the UK works.”
‘Despicable crimes
A Home Office spokesman said: “Harassment and sexual violence of all types are despicable crimes, causing unimaginable harm to victims and survivors.“We recognise the immense bravery shown by victims throughout their pursuit of justice, and protecting them remains central to our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
“We have already taken action to ban foreign nationals who commit sexual offences from being granted asylum, and will do everything in our power to pursue deportation from the UK.”
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Even the police are now acknowledging that illegal immigrants who come here and claim asylum pose a high risk to women and girls.
“We know that Afghan men are 22 times more likely to commit sex offences and the Casey Report said asylum seekers were disproportionately likely to be part of the rape gangs.
“This shows Labour’s loss of border control is now endangering British women and – with more illegal immigrants arriving on small boats so far this year than any year in history.
“There is a simple solution – every single illegal immigrant who arrives here should be immediately removed to a location outside Europe.”
