Commitment to tackling racism

Commitment to tackling Racism

Racism and prejudice have no place within Devon and Cornwall Police or support from its workforce.

Policing has a unique position in communities. This is partly because society has granted us the discretion to exercise powers which impact on the freedom and autonomy of individuals and the right to use reasonable force in the exercise of those powers.

We police with the consent of the public, yet too many people believe they are not included or valued by this force or wider society.  

A number of events, including the murder of George Floyd and the disproportionate impact of Covid 19 on people from Black and ethnic groups, have further ignited the debate about systemic racism and the impact that it has on the opportunities and life chances of Black, Asian and other minority ethnic people in the United Kingdom.

We acknowledge that many minority ethnic people, especially black people, do not see themselves reflected in our workforce. They believe that the legacy of historic events, such as the treatment of the Windrush generation and the policing response to the murder of Stephen Lawrence, provide enduring evidence of bias and racism in society.

Devon and Cornwall Police is a place for learning. We will be proactive in tackling racism and discrimination in all its forms to address legitimate concerns and build confidence for all our minority ethnic communities. We will proactively seek

We see communication, education, and openness as key to our response.

We further commit to our part in addressing the structural and societal causes that underpin the racial disparities which affect the life chances of people from across a range of minority ethnic communities.

What we will do:  

1. Leadership and Governance

• We will address the lack of diversity in our governance structures. As a first step will establish non-executive roles on our Executive by the end of 2021. We will actively encourage applications from members of our minority ethnic and other under-represented communities.
• We will work with members of our minority ethnic communities to co-design a community mentoring programme which provides opportunities for senior leaders to learn from their lived experience.
• We will publish racial disparity data on a six-monthly basis to support an open discussion with minority ethnic communities about how policing affects them.
• We will open our senior police officer selection processes to candidates from other Forces and promote these opportunities through a wide range of diverse forums including the National Black Police Association.

2. People, Culture, and Values

• We have commissioned a cultural audit which will help us to understand and address the internal barriers to becoming a more inclusive organisation. This will be completed by 31.03.2022.
• We will publish updates on progress on positive action in recruitment every six months.

• We will create opportunities for organisational wide conversations that challenge racism and bias and support inclusion. We will develop a range of resources to support those conversations.

• We are supporting the re-establishment of a Staff Support Network for officers and staff from an ethnically diverse heritage.
• We will establish an Allies Programme which equips our people to be authentic advocates for equality and inclusion.
• We will review our training programmes to identify opportunities to integrate learning from feedback from services users and diverse communities and to develop case studies and scenarios which reflect the lived experience of minority and vulnerable communities.

3. Legitimacy

• We will use police and relevant partnership data, to understand the impact of policing on minority ethnic and other diverse communities.
• We will consider and address issues of legitimacy and organisational learning, including national best practice, in Force performance and other governance boards.
• We have established independent scrutiny group for police use of powers.
• Senior leaders will review Body-worn video of Stop and Searches with a specific emphasis on those involving members of the public from Black (African and African Caribbean) communities at least every month.
• Geographic Commanders will work with partner agencies to develop a place based systemwide approach to exploring and addressing the underlying causes of racial disparities in public policy.

4. Service, Impact, Engagement

• We will hold force wide quarterly open meetings with members of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities. These meetings will provide a forum for community members to raise their concerns directly with a member of our Executive Board and for us to provide feedback on the actions we are taking.
• We are reviewing our approach to community engagement to include the membership of our Local Reference Groups and will take action to improve representation from across the range of protected groups.
• We will continue to work transparently with the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and her office to deliver the Police and Crime Plan. We will respond openly and positively to PCC scrutiny processes including those relating to the Use of Force and Police Powers.