The Cambridge Students’ Union (SU) has called on colleges to stop hiring porters from the police and armed forces over concerns of student welfare.

76% of those who attended Student Council on Monday night (14/10) voted in favour of the resolution. This comes after investigations have revealed long-standing student concerns about the behaviour of porters, particularly towards students from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The resolution, proposed by chair of the Women’s Campaign Rosie Freeman, urges colleges to prioritise welfare in porter recruitment, and to “stop recruiting porters from the police and armed forces, recognising the care function of the porter and campaigning for colleges to recruit and train their porters accordingly”.

An investigation by the SU revealed that as many as 26% of porters currently employed by colleges were previously employed by the police or the armed forces.

This comes after Louise Casey’s review of the Metropolitan Police in 2023 found the force to be institutionally racist, sexist, and homophobic, with more than 1,100 serving officers in England and Wales currently being under investigation for sexual and domestic abuse.

Since 2020, at least 18 colleges have received complaints about porter conduct, with students claiming that they have been subject to “racial profiling” by their college porters. During a debate on the motion, SU Welfare Officer Esheni Eshete described the issue of racial profiling as “such a point of contention for our students”.

According to an SU investigation, 18 out of 27 colleges provide training surrounding Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), while 12 provide mandatory Unconscious Bias training.

Both King’s and Caius College were the subject of a recent Varsity investigation into students’ experiences of discrimination from college porters. Caius, along with King’s, are among the colleges providing EDI training.

One student claimed that there were “very few colleges I’ve been able to go into without being questioned and basically harassed,” and reported not feeling comfortable walking around unaccompanied by white friends.

This investigation also cited a report published by End Everyday Racism in 2020 which revealed that “racist incidents perpetrated by college porters” was a “repeated occurrence”. A second report in 2023 reasserted the importance of “extensive training on non-discriminatory practices” for college porters.

At the moment, 13 out of 27 colleges provide mandatory Mental Health First Aid training, while fewer than five provide dedicated training for student welfare issues such as drug and alcohol awareness, sexual harassment, and suicide prevention.

The SU’s resolution recommends that the “care function of the porter” should be recognised in colleges’ hiring and training practices. Out of the 64 college porter recruitment documents published since 2020 and shared with the SU, only 24 mention student welfare or mental health within the responsibilities of the role. Further to this, only five packs include welfare or mental health training as essential or desired criteria for the role.

This comes after multiple college porters came under fire for racist and homophobic remarks online last term, with Emmanuel College SU labelling one porter’s conduct “homophobic and transphobic,” stating that they “completely denounce the reiteration of such views by a porter who is supposed to be a person of trust”.

A Gonville & Caius College spokesperson said: “Caius Porters are highly trained, respected and valued members of the College community from a wide range of work backgrounds. Any suggestion that a military or police background is a negative for a Porter perpetuates an unhelpful stereotype and is false.”

A spokesperson for King’s College said: “‘Dignity at Work’ training is mandatory for all staff at King’s and focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion within the workplace. Further training on a range of EDI topics, including unconscious bias, is also mandatory.”

“Porters are part of our security and welfare provision as they help ensure we have a safe living, working and learning environment for all members of our community,” they continued.

The University of Cambridge was contacted for comment.