Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation
Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation
Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation
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THE POLICE REFORM PROGRAMME<br />
“Currently there is an all-time high number<br />
of women chief officers, but it could be<br />
a false dawn, as this is due to 10 years’<br />
investment in development and training.”<br />
cent women. Prior to the slowdown<br />
in recruitment, research showed that<br />
achievement of the women’s target<br />
would take 14-1 years and the ethnic<br />
minority target up to 30 years. (Brown<br />
2012 3 ).<br />
Action must be taken soon if the<br />
expected slide is to be ameliorated.<br />
Politicians have avoided any form<br />
of affirmative action, fearing a toxic<br />
battle, even though it is used to select<br />
parliamentary candidates; it may be time<br />
to reconsider the BAWP/ACPO proposal<br />
(2009 4 );<br />
the new pay and rewards framework<br />
generally and specifically on flexible and<br />
part-time working. To date, excellent<br />
Home Office guidelines have had patchy<br />
implementation, pointing to the need<br />
for broad cultural change to ensure<br />
corporate acceptability.<br />
The organisational importance is clear<br />
from the 2009 national exit interviews,<br />
which showed 60 per cent female and<br />
46 per cent male resignations were for<br />
domestic reasons. An approach which<br />
encourages flexibility on both sides and<br />
balances the needs of a 24 emergency<br />
service with those of the individual is a<br />
must;<br />
the proposed annual fitness test if<br />
well conceived, this could be a success<br />
but history shows fitness has been used<br />
as a blunt, ill-considered recruitment<br />
tool, which saw bright, able women<br />
discarded. The Gender Agenda (2001)<br />
challenged the bias as it was not a test<br />
for men (95 per cent passed), it was<br />
a test for women (as only 44 per cent<br />
passed). Changes meant 88 per cent of<br />
women and 9 per cent of men passed<br />
with no service meltdown. 5,6 <strong>Policing</strong> is<br />
about brains, not brawn. That said, a<br />
focus on regular health screening and<br />
role specific capability tests is important<br />
direct entry will it thwart the progress<br />
of talented women and ethnic minority<br />
officers in the service average women<br />
are still not making the gains of average<br />
men, yet those passing the assessment<br />
centre to become chief officers tend be<br />
graduates and overall better qualified<br />
than their male counterparts.<br />
Currently there is an all-time high<br />
number of women chief officers, but this<br />
could be a false dawn, as this is due to<br />
10 years’ investment in development and<br />
training; current austerity is removing<br />
middle ranks, making it likely we could<br />
return to a period when few get through<br />
to the highest ranks;<br />
cost saving-focused procurement<br />
which could undermine women’s<br />
professional capability by opting for the<br />
cheaper unisex options of uniform and<br />
equipment;<br />
outsourcing to private companies,<br />
which have not endured the same level<br />
of public scrutiny over their equalities<br />
credentials, could leave an unprepared<br />
service vulnerable;<br />
police and crime commissioners who<br />
will have responsibilities for diversity<br />
within the current legal framework how<br />
they will manage their responsibilities<br />
or get advice and guidance is as yet<br />
unclear.<br />
Enduring issues which require<br />
continued focus include:<br />
the existing pockets of racism, sexism,<br />
homophobia, ageism, religious and<br />
disability discrimination and the less<br />
discussed but ever present pockets of<br />
cronyism and nepotism. All work against<br />
able and talented men and women, who<br />
fall within the ‘out crowd’.<br />
They must be countered by consistently<br />
managed standards of behaviour and fair<br />
and transparent selection and promotion<br />
processes, with a focus on future capability<br />
rather than past experiences, which may<br />
not be available to all candidates.<br />
a critical issue; developing capable<br />
black women, who currently make up<br />
only 1 per cent of the service. It is this<br />
group who hold back the black officer<br />
progression targets; indeed, evidence<br />
shows that black men are not far behind<br />
white men – yet this issue rarely emerges<br />
in progression debates.<br />
The service has made great<br />
progress improving its representation<br />
and treatment of staff, but could be<br />
entering a phase of complacency by<br />
believing achievements are embedded<br />
and unaffected by or secondary to<br />
cost cutting – such a view is nave and<br />
requires addressing to prevent the service<br />
regressing and waiting for the next public<br />
scandal to spur it into action.<br />
1<br />
HMIC (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary) –<br />
<strong>Policing</strong> Austerity – one year on (2012) available on www.hmic.<br />
gov.uk<br />
2<br />
BBC – Black <strong>Police</strong> reporting racism labelled as ‘trouble<br />
makers’” File on 4, reporter Allan Urry, 5 June 2012.<br />
3<br />
Brown and Woolfendon – Squaring the circle: projecting gender<br />
balance and its implications for the service by 2020 – a provincial<br />
constabulary case study (2012)<br />
4<br />
BAWPACPO (Association of Chief <strong>Police</strong> Officers) –<br />
Developing a diverse representative workforce (2009) available on<br />
www.bawp.org BPA (National Black <strong>Police</strong> Association)<br />
www.nbpa.co.uk<br />
5<br />
BAWP (British Association for Women in <strong>Policing</strong>) –<br />
Gender Agenda 2 (2006) available on www.bawp.org<br />
6<br />
Unpublished early research by the Metropolitan University of<br />
Manchester in preparation for Gender Agenda 3 (2012)<br />
POLICING <strong>UK</strong> | 49