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Positive relations between the police and black and minority ethnic (“BME”) communities are crucial if the police are to build safer, more stable communities.
The 1999 Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report highlighted the fact that minority ethnic communities lacked trust and confidence in the police.
The report made a range of recommendations to help improve relations between minority ethnic groups and the police and as a result some of the
changes which have been made are:
Engaging with our BME communities
All employees of the Force have access to the handbook Faces of Britain which contains useful information about the customs and practices of
members of our BME community.
We are in the process of profiling our communities (by nationality, ethnicity and religion) as the information currently available is out of date.
For example the Census data is from 2001 and there have been significant changes in our communities since that time.
The information obtained and links gained from this important exercise will enable us to:
- Identify issues faces by BME communities
- Ensure that the Neighbourhood Policing teams engage with all BME communities
- Take steps to have a workforce which represents the BME community.
All staff who have contact with members of the public are trained to work effectively with BME service users. In particular Neighbourhood
Policing Teams, Hate Crime Officers and a Community Liaison Officer work to build links with all BME communities across the Force to identify
and tackle issues affecting these communities.
Our IAGs and EAGs each provide a forum in which BME communities can engage with the Force to influence policing.
Employment
The Black Police Association in a well established network which represents diverse ethnic members of staff. For further information go to
Staff Associations and Support Groups.
All employees from Equality Groups are able to attend the Positive
Action Leadership Programme (PALP),
a three day course designed to encourage staff from Equality Groups to maximise their potential at work and
progress within the organisation.
One key way to develop trust and confidence with our diverse communities is to have a representative
workforce. Details on the work done to achieve this are contained in Making Diversity Happen.
Training
Diversity training is the “golden thread” which is woven into all Force training courses. New police
officer recruits are trained in diversity awareness. New police staff recruits receive training on equalities
legislation and the minimum standards required by the Force on diversity related matters, as part of
their induction.
Implementing and conducting non-discriminatory practices and policies
We assess the impact of our practices on race equality by using the monitoring described in Methods of Monitoring.
We assess the impact of our policies on race equality by conducting Equality
Impact Assessments.
Procurement
As well as taking steps to promote equality for our staff and service users we are committed to promote
equality in external organisations which provide us with goods or services (Contractors). See Procurement
for more information.
To ensure that our goods and services can be used equitably and appropriately by our staff and
service users we follow a process to assess whether they are fit for that purpose. See Procurement
for more information.
Race Equality Scheme
Details of the steps we are taking to promote race equality are contained in Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s Race Equality Scheme document.
The progress made in the scheme is monitored annually in the Race Equality Progress report
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