Army

British Army Instructors Told To Cut Down On Swearing

British Army instructors are being told to tone down their swearing following a BBC documentary.

According to the BBC, meetings are being held this week where instructors will be told not to swear as much following worries about how the behaviour could be putting potential recruits off signing up.

The Army has fallen below the required number of troops for nine of the last 10 years. An spokesperson said:

"It is a long-held policy that the British Army does not condone the use of abusive or insulting language towards its recruits."

Concerns about swearing in the Army were aired after a Newsbeat documentary, which followed new recruits going through army training, showed officers cursing at trainees.

Last year, the Chief of the General Defence Staff reiterated that abusive language is not acceptable in the British Army.

However, there is no specific policy or guidance that bans swearing.

Some in the Army believe that putting recruits under pressure is necessary to make sure they can deal with future situations.

Many of the public appear to agree. When Forces TV’s audience was asked in a poll whether so-called ‘beasting’ was an effective form of punishment, over 70% agreed.

The term - also known as being 'yakked' or 'thrashed' - is an extreme form of exercise to unofficially discipline a soldier for bad behaviour.