Annual Equality Report 2022

Meeting our Public Sector Equality Duty

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on all public authorities which requires them to pay due regard to the need to achieve the objectives set out under s149 of the Equality Act 2010.

These are to:

1. eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010
2. advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it
3. foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

These are referred to as the three aims or arms of the general equality duty. The Act explains that having due regard for advancing equality involves:

• removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics
  
• taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people
  
• encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.

The broad purpose of the equality duty is to ensure that organisations think about equality and diversity as part of their day-to-day business and consider how they can positively contribute to the advancement of equality and good relations between different communities. It requires equality considerations to be reflected in the design of policies and the delivery of services.

How do we do this in Devon & Cornwall Police?

We have a dedicated team who support the organisation in ensuring that we discharge our duties in relation to the Public Sector Duty. One of the ways that we do this is to ensure, where appropriate, that we conduct Equality Impact Assessments on all our policies and procedures to ensure that do not disadvantage people in our service delivery, and the decisions we make.