Equality, Diversity & Human Rights Strategy

Transcription

1 Equality, Diversity & Human Rights Strategy

2 This document sets out the Surrey Police Equality, Diversity and Human Rights (EDHR) strategy. It will explain our legal duties, vision and priorities and how we will deliver these through our EDHR strategic themes, equality objectives and delivery plan. Furthermore, it will describe how we will monitor and govern our performance.

3 Contents Foreword by the Deputy Chief Constable 5 1. Introduction 6 The Police and Crime Plan 6 Surrey Police Vision and Priorities 6 Surrey Police Equality, Diversity and Human Rights (EDHR) Strategy 7 The Business Case for EDHR 7 The Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty 8 What is the Equality Act 2010? 8 What is the Public Sector Equality Duty? 8 What are the Specific Duties? 9 What are the Protected Characteristics? 9 Summary EDHR strategy The 3 Strategic Themes EDHR Delivery Plan & Equality Objectives Measures and Governance 13 Measures and Data 13 Governance 13 Internal External HMIC PEEL Assessments EDHR Strategy Summary 15 Other Formats of this EDHR Strategy If you, or someone you know, would benefit from receiving this publication in a different format or language please contact Surrey Police Diversity Directorate on or [email protected]

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5 Foreword by the Deputy Chief Constable I am pleased to present the Surrey Police Equality, Diversity and Human Rights (EDHR) Strategy for This document will explain: Our legal obligations What we want to achieve How we will do this How we will monitor what we do. Surrey Police are committed to delivering the six People s Priorities and providing an effective policing service for everyone by: Keeping people safe from harm Being there when people need us Relentlessly pursuing criminals. In these challenging times, it is even more important that we ensure we are reaching out to all in Surrey, including minority communities, by listening to what they say and improving our services to them. This strategy sets out the strategic themes and equality objectives for the Force in three key areas: 1. People and Culture 2. Organisational Processes 3. Operational Delivery. This will help us: Build the trust and confidence of all of our different communities. Develop a representative police service that is reflective of the community we serve. Create an inclusive culture which respects diversity and supports our people to be the best that they can be Deliver excellent customer service that is responsive to the needs of all including new and emerging communities. This strategy provides the Force with a framework through which it can deliver our commitment to place our Code of Ethics of accountability, fairness, honesty, integrity, leadership, objectivity, openness, respect and selflessness at the heart of everything we do. I look forward to working with you all to help us deliver this strategy. Nick Ephgrave Deputy Chief Constable April

6 1. Introduction The Police and Crime Plan The strategic direction for Surrey Police is set by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner of Surrey. This is called the Police & Crime Plan or the People s Priorities, as outlined by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), as of April The People s Priorities are: 1. Take a zero tolerance policing approach 2. More visible street policing 3. Put victims at the centre of the Criminal Justice System 4. Give you the opportunity to have a greater say in how your streets are policed Surrey Police Vision and Priorities Surrey Police are committed to delivering these People s Priorities by: Keeping people safe from harm Being there when people need us Relentlessly pursuing criminals. Our vision is to deliver safe, satisfied and confident communities and relentlessly pursue those people that undermine them. We police by consent. This means we serve the community with their support and cooperation. For us to deliver our best service, our public needs to have trust and confidence in us. 5. Protect your local policing 6. Uncompromising in the standards you expect from your police. 6

7 Surrey Police Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Strategy This strategy or plan will describe how our Equality, Diversity and Human Rights (EDHR) aims, objectives and outcomes will take us towards realising the overall Force vision and priorities, so that the Force can deliver the PCC s Police and Crime Plan. The Business case for EDHR As a public body, Surrey Police is legally required to comply with the Equality Act 2010 but this isn t the only reason why we do it. We comply because there are many business benefits for our services and the public we serve. Simply put, equality means people having the same status, rights and opportunities whilst diversity means difference. If policing welcomes difference in its workforce and its communities, it will be more effective in the service it provides. CASE STUDY Surrey Coalition of Disabled People has a good partnership with the Diversity team at Surrey Police. For the last four years the Diversity team has attended our AGMs at Leatherhead to show its support for our service users in attendance. We also participate in Surrey Police s annual Opening Doors event to promote police officers awareness of disability issues. Surrey Coalition of Disabled People identified that people who are vulnerable have difficulty accessing advocacy in matters involving the Police. We jointly worked out a memorandum of understanding, which could not have been done without Surrey Police s Diversity Directorate. 7

8 Business benefits for EDHR include: A workforce which feels included and is able to be the best it can be Improved relations between the police and the different and emerging communities they serve Improvements in service delivery Increased cooperation and intelligence, where we can support victims and bring criminals to justice. The Business Case for EDHR in Policing Representative Workforce Compliance Surrey Police vision deliver safe, satisfied and confident communities and relentlessly pursue those people that undermine them. Community Engagement The Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty Surrey Police is legally required to comply with the Equality Act 2010, and in particular Section 149 the Public Sector Equality Duty and Section 153, the specific duties. What is the Equality Act 2010? The Equality Act 2010 replaced all previous anti-discrimination laws and consolidated them into a single Act of law. What is the Public Sector Equality Duty? Section 149 of the Act is the Public Sector Equality Duty and came into force on 5 April The Duty applies to public bodies and others carrying out public functions. There are three main aims of the Duty which are that all public bodies show due regard to: Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act; Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it. Due regard means consciously thinking about these three aims as part of every day decision making. 8

9 What are the specific duties? The Equality Duty is then supported by specific duties, which require public bodies to publish relevant, proportionate information demonstrating their compliance with the Equality Duty; and to set themselves specific, measurable equality objectives. The specific duties require public bodies to: Publish information to show their compliance with the Equality Duty, at least annually Set and publish equality objectives, at least every four years. CASE STUDY With a growing diverse population in Surrey we recognise that having a diverse workforce enables us to better understand the communities we police. The Surrey Police Association of Culture and Ethnicity (SPACE), are working closely with the Force to increase representation of our officers. In order to do this, SPACE have put together a mentoring scheme to assist people from diverse communities through each stage of the recruitment process as part of our positive action plan to better reflect Surrey s community. What are the Protected Characteristics? The protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010 are: Age Disability Gender reassignment Marriage and civil partnership (but only in respect of eliminating unlawful discrimination) Pregnancy and maternity Race this includes ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality Religion or belief this includes lack of belief Sex Sexual orientation 9

10 In Summary The Equality Act 2010 replaced all previous anti-discrimination laws and consolidated them into a single Act of law Equality Act 2010 It covers nine protected characteristics Surrey Police is legally required to comply with the Equality Act 2010, and in particular Section 149 the Public Sector Equality Duty and Section 153, the specific duties. Section 149 of the Act Also known as PSED or General Duty Public Sector Equality Duty There are three main aims of the Duty which are that all public bodies show due regard to: eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act; advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it. Section 153 of the Act Public Sector Specific Duties The Equality Duty is then supported by specific duties The specific duties require public bodies to: publish information to show their compliance with the Equality Duty, at least annually; and set and publish equality objectives, at least every four years. 10

11 2. The EDHR Strategy The 3 Strategic Themes This strategy sets out the equality objectives for the Force in three key areas our strategic themes. These are defined by the College of Policing, the professional body for policing. These are: 1. People and Culture 2. Organisational Processes 3. Operational Delivery. These three themes show due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty s three main aims as shown here: EDHR Strategy 3 strategic themes People & Culture Organisational Processes Public Sector Equality Duty 3 main aims Eliminate unlawful discrimination Advance equality of opportunity Operational Delivery Foster good relations Our strategic themes are then expanded to show how we aim to deliver this: 1. People and Culture Building a workforce which is representative of the community it serves Creating an inclusive working environment that includes everyone and encourages all staff to develop and make progress. 2. Organisational processes Consciously incorporating equality into every day decision making and business processes including performance management Providing transparent opportunities for challenge and scrutiny to remove barriers and eliminate discrimination. 3. Operational Delivery Delivering services that are easy to access and that respond to meet the needs of all communities Actively engaging with individuals and communities across Surrey to build trust, confidence, cooperation and cohesion to improve service delivery. 11

12 3. EDHR Delivery Plan and Equality Objectives Our strategic themes are where we aim to be. These are supported by a delivery plan and equality objectives which describe how we will get there. Each strategic theme has separate objectives and measures to ensure we deliver tangible outcomes. The Delivery Plan and objectives are regularly updated and can be found on our website or in another format by contacting the Surrey Police Diversity Directorate on or [email protected] CASE STUDY MULTIFAITH Chaplaincy The Multifaith Chaplaincy within Surrey Police offers support to everyone irrespective of their faith or belief and equally to anyone of no faith. The members of the Chaplaincy team represent the various faith communities in Surrey, which provides the opportunity for Surrey Police to be involved in a variety of community projects and initiatives. Chaplains have assisted with community projects like Street Angels, Food Banks and Town Centre Chaplaincy as well as issues concerning the welfare of the officers and staff of Surrey Police. 12

13 4. Measures and Governance Measures and Data We must publish information to show how we meet and comply with the Equality Duty and have shown due regard to the three aims. The information published must include: 1. Information relating to employees who share protected characteristics (for public bodies with 150 or more employees); and 2. Information relating to people who are affected by the public body s policies and practices who share protected characteristics (for example, service users). We must publish this at least annually and all information must be published in a way which makes it easy for people to access it. Governance We will regularly review our performance against our strategy to ensure high performance and transparency. We will actively encourage challenge and scrutiny to make sure we continuously improve our performance and deliver outcomes. Internal Internally, our performance will be governed through the Surrey Police EDHR board meeting which is chaired by the Deputy Chief Constable. Attendees include senior operational leaders, Diversity Directorate and support services including HR, Finance, ICT. To continuously improve our performance, we must be open to scrutiny and challenge. This is provided by chairs of our staff associations, community representation from the Chair of our Independent Advisory Group and representation from the Police and Crime Commissioner. The purpose of the EDHR Board is to effectively deliver the Surrey Police EDHR strategy, equality objectives and Delivery Plan. External Surrey Police s EDHR performance is also measured by external governance bodies including the College of Policing, Her Majesty s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) 13

14 HMIC PEEL Assessments EDHR specific criteria All police forces are regularly inspected by Her Majesty s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). The HMIC have revised and developed their inspection programme and this is now called PEEL Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy. The PEEL Programme is designed to provide the public with a clear picture of how well their force is performing across the three pillars (efficiency, effectiveness and legitimacy). In considering the inspection criteria, we have determined the following areas are particularly relevant to our EDHR strategy. Leadership Capability. EFFICIENCY Reducing crime and preventing offending. Protecting those at greatest risk from harm. Tackling serious, organised and complex crime. EFFECTIVENESS Overall perceptions of the Force. Treating people equally without discrimination. Workforce act with integrity. High quality information provided about police work. LEGITIMACY 14

15 5. EDHR Strategy Summary This document covers several different elements which, when combined, create our overall strategy. Surrey Police EDHR Strategy The 3 Strategic Themes PCC Police and Crime Plan People and Culture Force Vision and Priorities Equality Act and Public Sector Equality Duty Surrey Police EDHR Strategy Organisational Processes Equality Objectives and Delivery Plan Measures and Governance HMIC College of Policing Operational Delivery EDHR Board 15

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