Policing UK 2013 - Police Federation

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