Supporting Diversity In Recruitment
We are committed to ensuring that our workforce is representative of the communities we serve. This is not a new thing; it is a fundamental part of our history and the principles on which policing is built.
Our communities have changed over time and our workforce must reflect this change if we are to police effectively. By bringing together different viewpoints to continually improve how we deliver our policing service; making our services more approachable and relevant to our communities. We use positive action to help achieve this.
Register now for Positive Action support
What is Positive Action? (and what it isn’t!)
Retired Superintendent Abid Khan shared a blog post with current employees of the constabulary and he sums up perfectly what Positive Action is and what Positive Action isn’t.
Here is an excerpt;
“Applicants who are from a minority ethnic background are much less likely to have a connection to policing and therefore, often, navigate the recruitment process with little or no support. We know that
“This doesn’t strike me as a 100 meter race where the track is the same length and all the athletes start at the same point. More that it feels like a 1500 metre race where the ethinc minority applicants start on the outside lane and have to run the entire race in that lane.
“This disparity is not unique to policing, it is deep rooted and the only way to overcome it, is to ensure everyone is running the same 100 metres and has a fair chance to win, and that means some things have really got to change.
“So all positive action does is support disadvantaged candidates to make the race a little more fair. It’s likely though, that the advice and support that a white applicant might get from someone will still give them a significant advantage.
“I want to touch on some of the myths about positive action and thought that a ‘what it is’ and ‘what it isn’t’ may be a good place to start.
What positive action is:
What is Positive Action?
In order to address under-representation, and promote a diverse work force, police forces in the UK are able to use Positive Action, under the Equality Act 2010.
To tackle the adverse impact that policies and procedure can have on people from under-represented groups, Positive Action can include a targeted campaign, or offering advice, support and guidance. The type of things that this includes are mock interviews, a practice application form question, and guidance on what to expect in an assessment centre.
What positive action isn’t:
It’s not positive discrimination.
It isn’t about setting targets.
It is not about giving candidates the actual questions or answers, or about lowering our standards. Every successful candidate has to complete their application form on their own, has to sit the assessment centre on their own, and has to attend an interview that they must pass on their own.
It certainly isn’t about giving jobs to people just because they are from an under-represented group.
Who is it for?
Our Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) team offers support (Positive Action) to all under-represented groups by providing advice and guidance before and during the application and selection process.
How do I access the support?
Most candidates who attend positive action support sessions will say that they benefited considerably. Having the opportunity to become familiar with policing processes increased their knowledge and gave them confidence to submit an application of a higher standard. Equally so, those who attend national assessment centre support sessions have a higher chance of success, than those from under-represented groups who don’t.
This is a competitive process whereby sacrificing a small amount of your time, could be the difference between a pass or fail.
So, BEFORE you submit your application form, click the button below to tell us your contact details and the team will contact you.
Community Ambassadors Network (CAN)
The main purpose of the initiative is to create a network of community ambassadors who can help to identify potential talent within our communities and signpost them to our Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) team. At future events there will be an opportunity to host speakers from various departments to increase community knowledge and raise awareness. The idea is that our community ambassadors will improve their knowledge of policing and our processes and in turn become a communication platform to help us identify potential new recruits as our advocates in the communities we serve.
If you are interested in learning more, please contact the DEI team at: [email protected]