'Unacceptable': Smoking Ban For Recruits At Army Foundation College Harrogate
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hall said it is "unacceptable" that the majority of recruits are smoking by the time they graduate.
8th September 2019 at 3:50pm
Teenagers joining the British Army's principle training centre are to be banned from smoking from next week.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hall, the commanding officer of the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, said smoking "isn't compatible" with the college's philosophy of "health, fitness and developing potential".
He made the announcement on Twitter.
"Most recruits don’t smoke on arrival, yet most do by graduation. This is unacceptable," he wrote.
"We stand for health, fitness and developing potential and smoking isn’t compatible with this philosophy.
"We are banning it for recruits from next week and will be smoke-free for all in 2020.”
Vaping is also included in the ban.
Lieutenant Colonel Hall’s decision has been met with a mixed response online.
Fraser Reid tweeted: "Great step. I just don't understand why anyone would start in the first place.
"Hopefully this will be imposed across other training establishments over time and significantly reduce smoking across the Army."
Keiron Stainsby disagreed and said: "Basic training is one of the most stressful things I’ve endured and I can safely say if people had to stop smoking during it they wouldn’t of coped."
Another person was also concerned by the policy: "I don't think this is a good move sir, there is a reason that most start smoking, and you control most of a young squaddies life as it is, a fag and a brew is what makes it bearable."
According to the Army’s website, the Foundation College “plays a vital role in providing basic military training and developing future leadership“.
The College runs a 20-week course and a 40-week course, with new recruits expected to spend their first 6 weeks living in on-site accommodation before they are allowed a visit home.
Later in the course, there is leave allocated at Christmas and during the summer, with some additional weekends off.
Lieutenant Colonel Hall said he hoped his new rules would “discourage smoking amongst new recruits and reverse the recent trend we’ve seen in recruits taking up the habit”.
In January, a Freedom of Information request by the Times revealed as many as
7,200 troops are not currently medically fit enoughto be sent abroad.
Some critics have raised concerns about how the policy will affect instructors and course leaders who were previously allowed to smoke on-site as long as it was not in front of trainees.
Replying to one tweet, Lieutenant Colonel said: "Role modelling is a very important influencer on the behaviour of our recruits. Staff don’t smoke in front of them but we need to go further."
