Positive relations between the police and different religious (religion and belief will be used interchangeably on this page) communities are crucial if the police are to build safer, more stable communities.

Our legal obligations are contained in the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 and only cover employees. However, the Force goes beyond legislation and promotes religious equality for service users also.

Engaging with our religious 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 and religious communities.

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process of profiling our communities (by nationality, ethnicity and religion) as the information currently available is out of date.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 religious communities
• Ensure that the Neighbourhood Policing teams engage with all religious communities
• Take steps to have a workforce which represents the religious community.

All staff who have contact with members of the public are trained to work effectively with service users of different religions. In particular Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Hate Crime Officers and a Community Liaison Officer work to build links with all religious communities across the Force to identify and tackle issues affecting these communities.

Our IAGs and EAGs each provide a forum in which religious communities can engage with the Force to influence policing.

Employment

Our commitment to equality for staff concerning religion is reflected in the Religion Belief and Cultural Needs of Staff policy. The Force has a Chaplaincy service which provides support to officers and staff of all religions or beliefs. The Force Chaplain is currently working with the Diversity Unit to understand the spiritual needs of staff with a view to making recommendations to the Force, if appropriate.

All employees from Equality Groups are able to attend the Positive Action Leadership Programme (PALP) document, 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 religious equality by using the monitoring described in Methods of Monitoring.

We assess the impact of our policies on religious 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.