West Mercia Police
EQUALITY DUTY REPORT
2013 – 2014
If you require this report in an alternative format. Please contact Kal Parkash Strategic Equality & Diversity Officer on
07794512208 or by e-mail to kalpna.parkash@westmercia.pnn.police.uk
Contents
Foreword
Exec Summary and our Equality Objectives
Equality & Diversity Governance & Review
Our Equality and Diversity Initiatives
Collecting information
Internal Staff Networks
Scrutiny
Police & Crime Commissioner
Independent Advisory Groups
Contact us
Appendices:
A - Equality Objectives - Action plan
B - Hate Crime & Incidents
C - Stop & Search
D - Satisfaction Survey
E - Complaints data
F - Employment Monitoring Data
1
Foreword.
West Mercia Police serves over 1 million people across a diverse region of 2,868 square miles, making it the fourth largest police area in
England and Wales. We operate through five local policing areas - Herefordshire, North Worcestershire, South Worcestershire, Shropshire,
Telford & Wrekin - and our main headquarters site is based at Hindlip, near Worcester.
‘Protecting people from harm’ is our vision and is at the heart of our service delivery. This is achieved by working closely with our partners and
local communities. In these challenging times it is even more important for us all to live our values and to demonstrate equality, diversity and
human rights in all that we do. This includes putting victims of crime and vulnerable people to the forefront.
We have over 4000 employees, staff, officers, and volunteers within our Police Force. We work hard to ensure our workforce reflects the
diverse backgrounds of the communities and people we are here to serve. Our staff understand the importance of dignity and respect and that
discrimination and prejudice will not be tolerated.
Our Strategic Alliance with Warwickshire Police will allow us to identify areas where we can deliver services jointly, effectively and efficiently. It
is however important to note that each force has its own identity and its own Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable. This means that
West Mercia Police retains its own equality objectives which have been developed to meet the requirements of local communities.
I am committed to ensuring that, as an organisation, we use the intelligence and information we gather to deliver better policing services and
improve outcomes for the communities that we serve and I am pleased to present this report to demonstrate that Equality and Diversity are
central to our thinking and planning and that our priorities focus upon protecting the most vulnerable and disadvantaged within our
communities.
David Shaw. Chief Constable, West Mercia Police
.
2
Exec Summary
The aim of the Equality Duty is to embed equality considerations into the day to day work of public authorities, so that they tackle
discrimination and inequality and contribute to making society fairer. As a public body, we are required to publish Equality Information which
demonstrates our compliance with the General Public Sector Equality Duty. This report contains information about:

An overview of our equality and diversity priorities

Examples of good practice working with our diverse communities

Information and data on key equality and diversity areas of work
Below are our Equality Objectives for 2014-15 broken down into the 3 themes as outlined by the College of Policing:
Equality Objectives
OPERATIONAL:
• Increase in levels of trust, confidence & understanding within our
diverse communities
• Support the most vulnerable and most likely to be at harm
• Meaningful and targeted engagement, leading to positive
outcomes
ORGANISATIONAL:
• Demonstrate leadership and commitment and continuous
improvement
• A workforce that understand and responds to the different needs
of society
• Robust equality analysis to inform our decision making
PEOPLE & CULTURE:
• Ensure Staff feel valued and respected
• Organisation reflects the diverse communities we serve
• Staff are informed and empowered to innovate
3
Equality & Diversity Governance and Review
Our Chief Constable is the Joint Chair of our Strategic Diversity Group which meets quarterly to review current equality priorities and
objectives as well as looking at national and regional issues to ensure we are better sighted on, and, responding to the emerging and evolving
issues. This group continues to work in partnership to listen, engage and facilitate external scrutiny of our Equality and Diversity work.
The membership of the Strategic Group consists of Chief Officers, representatives from our Independent Advisory Groups and internal staff
networks, senior officers responsible for relevant strategies. There is also representation from the Police & Crime Commissioner’s Office and
other partners such as the Crown Prosecution Service. Some examples of key areas of work are outlined below:
Hate Crime Strategy
Towards the end of 2013 work was commenced to formulate a new hate crime strategy for the alliance. This process took several months and
was done in close consultation with partners including local government, community safety partnerships, Office of Police & Crime
Commissioner, victim groups and Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs) to mention a few. The consultation and feedback from the IAG's as a
critical friend, proved invaluable, and they made a very positive contribution to what became the final strategy which was launched in April
2014.
During the consultation process Sylvia Lancaster (mother of Sophie), a leading hate crime campaigner, was very supportive of the direction of
the strategy, especially our inclusion of 'lifestyle choice' as an extra strand of hate crime.
To complement the new hate crime strategy, a new training package was developed, and became a mandatory training requirement for all
staff and officers coming into contact with the public. We now have a workforce who actively consider all crimes and incidents as having the
potential to be a hate crime, and they now have the relevant training to be able to record and deal with it in the correct way.
A Regional Service Level Agreement is now in place between West Midlands Region CPS and Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police, West
Midlands Police and Staffordshire Police.
The delivery of the hate crime strategy is now the responsibility of the Local Police Area Commanders, and they are delivering a bespoke
service to their individual communities based on the overarching principles of the strategy.
4
Review of Stop and Search Procedures
West Mercia Police understand the concerns that minority communities may have in respect of the use of these powers and has created a
detailed recording system which offers greater transparency with how officers use the power, ensuring the grounds of each search are closely
monitored by senior staff within the organisation, and available for scrutiny by public consultation groups. We manage an ongoing action plan
to ensure that we continue to address any inappropriate use of the power by its officers and critically challenging any disproportionality that
exists. Our process for recording Stop & Search incidents are much more efficient and transparent and all we ensure training is made
available to all staff.
West Mercia police is a national pilot force for the Home Office with mapping of our Stop Search data onto the internet website Police.uk. The
allows any member of the public to look at where searches have been carried out, looking at the age and ethnicity.
Positive Action
To support the increase in BME representation we work closely with our Local Policing teams to engage with people who were looking at
joining the Police Family – Police Officers, Police Staff the Special Constabulary and PCSOs. We are working closely with the College of
Policing on their initiative BME Progression 2018 which aims to proactively work with Police forces in developing and improving;
 Progression/Specialisation
 Recruitment
 Retention
We are also developing action plans to ensure all our positive action initiatives encompass all under represented groups such as disability and
sexual orientation. It is important that our workforce represents the communities we serve and that we have a deeper understanding of our
communities.
Our Independent Advisory Group members have helped with training and raising awareness of specific issues such as visual impairment,
mental health, and cultural awareness of the gypsy and traveller communities.
5
Our Equality & Diversity Initiatives
At the People’s Parliament, West Mercia Police was one of the organisations that signed pledges to
support people with Learning Disabilities. The Worcestershire People’s Parliament examines the
services and policies that affect the lives of people with learning disabilities
.
Colleagues from the Telford Command Team have established an annual cricket match to promote
community cohesion and integration. Teams from the Sikh and Muslim faiths joined the Police and
Local Authority to support better cohesion.
6
120 new Safe Places in Shropshire & Herefordshire have been established. We work closely with
advocacy groups and support groups such as the Shropshire Disability Network, Taking Part, the
Oswestry & Shropshire Citizens Advocacy and The Echo in Hereford
A poster campaign to raise awareness of disability hate crime was launched by the police with support
from the local authority in Shropshire, supported by Paralympic gold medallist Mickey Bushell MBE,
who was born in Telford.
The posters with the slogan "We're All Human" were displayed on Arriva buses throughout the county
as a way of raising awareness and encouraging people to report hate crimes and incidents.
Colleagues form the Malvern Safer Neighbourhood Team, worked in partnership to make reporting hate
crimes easier for people in South Worcestershire.
7
Collecting Information
When you contact the police, information may be collected from you to assist us in dealing effectively with the matter and also to enable us to
improve the services that we provide. Some of this information will assist to identifying the following:
Our
vulnerable
service
users
Diversity
of Needs
Groups
not using
our
services
Targeted
initiatives to
reduce
harm
Levels of
Satisfaction
Better use
Difference
of
in service
Resources services outcomes
How to
reach
underrepresented
groups
Much of our equalities information is currently broken down by the “Protected Characteristics” which are:
Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and Civil Partnership
Pregnancy and Maternity
Race
Religion and belief
Sex
Sexual Orientation
Gathering data is not an end in itself, but enables us to identify dis-proportionality and inequalities and therefore, make better decisions about
what actions would best improve equality across all diverse groups.
8
What information is collected?
West Mercia Police regularly undertakes surveys of people who have used police services to assess their satisfaction with us. These surveys
may be undertaken by post, or more often through a telephone call directly to the person who had the contact with the Police Service.
We also collect information when we execute our powers. For example when we arrest people or where we stop and search someone. We
submit these returns to the Home Office and annual national reports are published around ‘Stop and Search’ and under Section 95 of the
Criminal Justice Act 1991.
The Professional Standards Department (PSD) undertakes the work regarding complaints about West Mercia and collects information about
the individuals making complaints and those complained about.
What happens to the information?
The information collected is held and processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act.
Each Local Policing Area (LPA) reviews its crime figures on a regular basis. These figures are used to plan the work on the LPA and to
undertake specific targeted ‘operations’. The information is used to understand the needs of our communities, plan activity to address those
needs and to communicate effectively with people and communities.
Staff monitoring information
Information about our staff is recorded in our ‘Employment Monitoring Report’. (Appendix F). This Report provides information on our
workforce distribution by role, race, disability, faith, gender and age. It also highlights recruitment, promotion and training statistics, together
with grievance and misconduct data.
9
Internal Staff Networks
West Mercia operates a number of support networks to assist our staff on issues of race, gender, disability and sexuality.
The Women’s Network
The objectives for the network are:

To provide a network supporting women

To facilitate women to fulfill their potential

To work with others to progress diversity issues and to champion issues for women within the organisation.
A steering group co-ordinates activity and provides a point of reference. The steering group is made up of volunteers of all grades and ranks
from many departments. The group work very closely with HR, and have the full support of the Chief Officer team.
The strapline the network currently uses is "helping you to help yourself".
Minority Ethnic Resource Group- (MERGe) is a resource and support network for Black and Minority Ethnic Staff, Community Support
Officers, Special Constables and Police Officers working for West Mercia Police. The aim of MERGe is to work with West Mercia Police to
support and promote Black and Minority Ethnic staff within the organisation and its wider community. The group have developed and
supported a number of initiatives to support recruitment, retention and progression. These have included informal mentoring, coaching,
research and interviewer training for BME and other minority individuals across the alliance.
MERGe are involved in policy consultation and very much advance continuous improvement in relation to organisational process and practice.
Having a seat at strategic meetings means the group are at the heart of organisational diversity and thereby work closely with both internal
and community stakeholders to progress equality and diversity matters.
10
BME role models include individuals who have received commendations, community praise and even found themselves listed on the Queens
Honours list. Membership to MERGe has enabled individuals to gain networking and development opportunity on a local, regional and national
level. This includes contributing to College of Policing focus groups and information share with groups such as the British Sikh Police
Association, the National Black Police Association and South West Regional Black Police Associations.
Focusing on the future, the group are looking to build on current partnership working with stakeholders to tackle local and national matters
around under-representation. This includes involvement in the current BME progression work developed by the College of Policing and in
providing increased positive action mentoring support to new applicants. MERGe are together with The Warwickshire Black Police Association
moving towards a single BME network across the alliance forces of West Mercia Police and Warwickshire Police.
The disAbility network is an internal action, networking and representative group for police officers, police staff and members of the Special
Constabulary who have a disability, or are caring for dependants who have disabilities.
11
Scrutiny
Police and Crime Commissioner
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is briefed on our Equality and Diversity work and we work closely with the Police & Crime
Commissioner’s Community Ambassadors across West Mercia.
For more information about the Police and Crime Commissioner go to the web site of the office of the West Mercia Police and Crime
Commissioner.
Independent Advisory Groups
Our Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs) continue to provide specialist advice and support to the Force. They offer differing perspectives,
challenging us objectively and constructively and in doing so, have enabled the Force and its Officers and staff to have a better understanding
of the needs, concerns and expectations of the communities it serves. The three current IAG are:

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT)

Disability

Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)
We have recently undertaken a review of our Independent Advice Framework and are working to establish Local IAGs (Telford, Shropshire,
Hereford and Worcester). These Local groups will work closely with the Local Policing Teams to help shape local provision, review our policies
and be involved in scrutiny of specific areas such as Hate Crime, Stop and Search and Complaints.
As well as the Local IAGs we will continue to grow our current Thematic IAGs, ensuring we place equality and diversity issues at the forefront
of our service delivery model.
12
Contact Us
We welcome your feedback in relation to this report and in particular your views on any Equality objectives that should be set by the Force.
If you require any further information, or have specific questions, or require this report in an alternative format please contact Kal Parkash on
07794512208 or by e-mail kal.parkash@westmercia.pnn.police.uk and we will do our best to help you.
13
Appendix A
Our Equality Objectives
Theme
Operational
An increase in levels of
trust, confidence &
understanding
Supporting the most
vulnerable & at harm and
most likely to be at harm
Objective
Key Actions
Stop & Search
Develop a strategic
Action Plan
To review use of Stop & Search to ensure that
activity is intelligence driven and its use is legal
and proportionate
Hate Crime
Action plan underpinning
the new strategy
Develop an action plan to increase confidence
and the number of recorded Hate Crimes,
particularly disability hate crime
Meaningful and targeted
engagement leading to
positive outcomes
Positive contribution by our IAG’s
Organisational
Promote Equality and Diversity
Demonstrate Leadership,
Commitment & continuous
improvement
Undertake a review of our IAG’s and
recommend changes to ensure improved
governance and engagement with positive
outcomes
Quarterly publishing of case studies to
demonstrate positive outcomes and community
engagement
Equality & Diversity Performance
Dashboard
Deliver the
recommendations of the
review within the
timescale
Quarterly Case Studies
via Safer Neighbourhood
Teams
Quarterly reporting to
Strategic Diversity Group
Develop and robust performance monitoring
dashboard and ensure quarterly reporting
Training and Development
A Workforce that responds
to different needs of society
Ensure all staff have access to training and
development with particular emphasis on Mental
Health Awareness, Dementia and Autism
Robust equality analysis to
inform our decision making
Equality Analysis
Review current E&D
training and Induction
training
Develop robust scrutiny
via IAGs
Promote the Equality Analysis & Impact
template and ensure all areas develop
accurate & robust evidence base
1
People & Culture
Ensure staff feel valued and
respected
Organisation reflects the
diverse communities we
serve
Ensure our vision and behaviours include
respect, equality and diversity
Workshops feedback &
action plan
Embed equality & diversity via the new Cultural
Strategy
Increase diversity of workforce
Positive action initiatives
across the organisation
Increase of Police Officer, Staff, Special
Constable, Volunteers with a protected
characteristic
Retain staff with protected characteristics
Increase self-declaration
Ensure staff changes and movement do not
adversely impact on staff with a protected
characteristic
Staff are informed and
empowered to engage and
innovate
Ensure equal access to progression and
development opportunities
Better engagement with the internal staff
groups and also address any barriers
identified
2
Regular Chief Officer
engagement with staff
networks
Appendix B
Hate Crime
Hate Crime can be defined as any crime that is motivated by the dislike of or hostility
toward another based on a particular feature. This could be because of the victim’s
association with a group or based upon their personal characteristics. The police also
record “Hate Incidents”, this is similar to a “Hate Crime” but is where an incident occurs
that does not constitute a criminal offence. When recording hate crime and hate incidents
West Mercia Police uses the following definition of characteristics:
Disability - An incident has occurred because of a disability. This includes physical
disability, mental disability, and learning disability.
Race - A incident or crime has occurred because of their Race.
Religion/Faith- An incident has occurred because of the victim’s beliefs through their faith
/ religion. Included in this category is an instance where a person is targeted because they
have no religion / faith
Sexual Orientation – An incident has occurred because of their sexual orientation
including gay, straight and bisexual. It can also apply where the offender’s perception of
the sexual orientation of the victim is in fact incorrect.
Transgender An incident has occurred because the victim is transgender. This may
include a victim who is:

Transsexual - a person who feels a consistent and overwhelming desire to fulfil their
life as a member of the opposite gender. They may want and complete gender
reassignment surgery

Transvestite - clinical name for a cross dresser, a person who dresses in the clothing
of the opposite sex. Transvestites do not wish to alter their body.

Transgender - a term used to include transsexuals and transvestites. A transgender
can also be a person who, like a transsexual, transitions - sometimes with the help of
cosmetic surgery and hormone therapy - to live in the role of the opposite gender, but
has not undergone, and generally does not intend to undergo surgery.
Alternative Lifestyle Individual characteristic that makes someone appear different, e.g.
alternative lifestyle, culture, physical appearance and style of dress.
3
Reporting Hate Crime
Victims of hate crime can report hate crime online through a website called True Vision
which is supported by all forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It can be
accessed at www.report-it.org.uk. True Vision provides information for victims and the
public about what hate crime is, why it is important to report it when it happens, and sets
out the range of ways hate crimes can be reported, including via an online reporting form.
The site also provides links to organisations that can offer support and advice on hate
crime related issues.
Responding to Hate Crime
West Mercia Police takes all “Hate Crime” and “Hate Incidents” seriously and the
information that we collect is scrutinised by our Independent Advisory Groups.
West Mercia has taken note of the advice and findings of two significant recent reports.
'Hidden in Plain Sight' (Equality and Human Rights Commission) and 'Don’t Stand By'
(Mencap). 'Hidden in plain sight' is the final report of the inquiry into disability-related
harassment. The report uncovered that harassment is a commonplace experience for
disabled people, but a culture of disbelief and systemic institutional failures are preventing
it from being tackled effectively.
Apr 2013- Mar 2014
Mar 2013-Apr14 Fiscal Year Victims of Hate Crime for the Force
White
Black
Asian
Chinese
Unknown
Total
Disability
18
0
1
0
0
19
Race
137
80
158
20
10
403
Religion/Faith
7
3
9
0
0
19
Sexual Orientation
48
2
3
1
1
55
Transgender
11
0
0
0
0
11
Total
221
85
171
21
11
509
2013/14 Fiscal Year Victims of Hate Incidents for the Force
HATE INCIDENT - NO
SPECIFIC OFFENCE
HOMOPHOBIC
INCIDENT - NO
SPECIFIC OFFENCE
RACIAL INCIDENT NO SPECIFIC
OFFENCE
OTHER CRIME
INCIDENTS WITH
HATE MARKERS
White
Black
Asian
Chinese
Unknown
Total
71
1
4
2
2
79
16
1
0
0
0
17
82
33
63
2
1
180
30
6
13
0
4
53
199
41
80
4
7
331
4
Apr - Dec 2014
West Mercia Victims of Hate Crime
White
Black
Asian
Mixed
Other
Unknown
Total
Disability
26
26
Racial
97
53
105
37
Religion/Faith
6
1
9
1
Sexual Orientation
47
Transgender
11
Total
187
54
115
38
6
7
407
White
Black
Asian
Mixed
Other
Unknown
Total
40
1
1
1
2
45
6
7
304
17
48
1
11
West Mercia Victims of Hate Incidents
HATE INCIDENT - NO SPECIFIC OFFENCE
HOMOPHOBIC INCIDENT - NO SPECIFIC
OFFENCE
12
12
RACIAL INCIDENT - NO SPECIFIC OFFENCE
Total
73
13
45
9
1
7
147
125
14
46
9
2
9
204
5
Appendix C
Stop and Search
In certain circumstances the police have powers to stop and search people. The use of
this power is governed by legislation and the police are required to submit detailed
information on each occasion that it is used.
In 2014, the home secretary launched ‘Best use of
Stop Search’ a voluntary scheme which both
Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police have
now fully implemented. The principal aims of the
Scheme are to achieve greater transparency,
community involvement in the use of stop and search powers and to support a more
intelligence-led approach, leading to better outcomes, for example, an increase in the stop
and search to positive outcome ratio.
Stop and Search regularly raises concerns for black and minority ethnic communities as
there are disproportionately more people from a black background stopped in comparison
to the overall population.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report called ‘Stop and Think’
and declared their intention to use their powers to tackle the issue of disproportionality.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has also published guidance as to how
police forces should use these powers in order to restore confidence amongst black and
minority ethnic communities. As a result of changes this year, we have introduced an
observation policy, allowing members of the community to patrol with officers and staff to
understand the challenges, how powers are used and justified. We have also introduced
closer scrutiny of complaints around Stop Search. Any dissatisfaction over the use of the
power will be reviewed personally by a senior officer to ensure the complaint is properly
addressed.
6
Stop & Search Data:
Policing Area
South
Worcestershire
North
Worcestershire
Herefordshire
Shropshire
Telford & Wrekin
West Mercia
2013/14 Fiscal
Year
Tactical Policing
Unit
South
Worcestershire
North
Worcestershire
Herefordshire
Shropshire
Telford & Wrekin
Total Stopped
No Arrested
% Arrested
Total Stopped
No Arrested
% Arrested
Total Stopped
No Arrested
% Arrested
Total Stopped
No Arrested
% Arrested
Total Stopped
No Arrested
% Arrested
2012
% Per
PA
2013
% Per
PA
2014 (Apr-Dec)
% Per
PA
2880
22.0%
3310
23.3%
1817
23.3%
3693
1473
2836
2237
13119
28.2%
11.2%
21.6%
17.1%
3869
1570
3057
2392
14198
27.3%
11.1%
21.5%
16.8%
1992
1138
1760
1102
7809
25.5%
14.6%
22.5%
14.1%
Asian
200
12
6.0%
316
14
4.4%
18
0
0.0%
61
7
11.5%
195
13
6.7%
Black
109
10
9.2%
166
13
7.8%
17
0
0.0%
42
3
7.1%
49
6
12.2%
Mixed
60
6
10.0%
131
14
10.7%
5
1
20.0%
46
7
15.2%
63
3
4.8%
7
Other
14
1
7.1%
15
0
0.0%
11
0
0.0%
10
1
10.0%
5
1
20.0%
Unknown
45
6
13.3%
35
6
17.1%
12
0
0.0%
25
3
12.0%
15
1
6.7%
White
2882
189
6.6%
3206
261
8.1%
1507
137
9.1%
2873
252
8.8%
2065
165
8.0%
Grand
Total
3310
224
6.8%
3869
308
8.0%
1570
138
8.8%
3057
273
8.9%
2392
189
7.9%
Appendix D
Satisfaction Surveys
It is the requirement of the Home Office for police forces to conduct user satisfaction
surveys with specified user groups (victims of Burglary, Violent Crime & Racist incidents).
These Surveys inform us whether these victims are satisfied with the service we have
provided them with.
The information collected so far, highlights that there is a slight difference between
satisfaction with black and minority ethnic (BME) and white groups as crime victims.
When compared against BME victims of crime, white victims were slightly more satisfied.
There appears to be a difference when comparing the age of respondents; with older
respondents (over 55 years old) being more satisfied than those in the younger age
category.
There is also a slight difference in satisfaction when looking at whether the victim had a
disability/long-term illness; those respondents without a disability were generally more
satisfied than those who did have a disability/long-term illness. When dividing
respondents by gender, female respondents were generally slightly more satisfied than
their male counterparts.
Through our performance monitoring programme, we will continue to monitor these
differences and aim to deliver change that makes a real difference to all of our
communities. We will also continue to refine our survey methods, in order to ensure that
we capture as much diverse information as possible.
In addition to the mandatory Home Office User Satisfaction Surveys, we have also
conducted surveys with domestic abuse and rape victims. Over the next year, we will
work to develop this area of consultation further.
Data from victim satisfaction surveys:
The tables below record the percentage of respondents who were either Completely/Very
or Fairly satisfied with the overall service that they received from West Mercia Police. The
data relates to victims contacted between April 2013 and December 2014. The total
sample size for West Mercia Police was 5,073. The sample was taken from a random
selection of victims who were contacted by telephone and taken through a scripted survey
that took on average, 10 minutes.
8
By age
16 - 24
25 - 34
35 - 44
45 - 54
55 - 64
65 - 74
75 and
over
West Mercia
82.3%
80.8%
80.5%
84.6%
87.0%
86.2%
92.2%
(764)
(983)
(968)
(940)
(652)
(500)
(205)
Base:
By Gender
Male
Female
West Mercia
81.7%
85.8%
(3037)
(2021)
By Ethnicity
BME
White
West Mercia
81.2%
83.9%
(515)
(4496)
Base:
Disability
Yes
No
West Mercia
80.7%
84.4%
(1085)
(3818)
Base:
9
Appendix E
Complaints -Apr 2013 - Mar 14 587 complaints investigated
Apr 2014 - Dec14 402 complaints investigated
Gender
2013- Mar 14
Apr 14- Dec 14
Female
177
139
Male
411
280
Other
4
2
Unknown
12
11
Company
1
1
605
433
2013- Mar 14
Apr 14- Dec 14
Asian
12
10
Black
18
9
White
235
135
Unknown/not stated
340
279
Total
605
433
2013- Mar 14
Apr 14- Dec 14
Gay/Lesbian
0
0
Heterosexual
22
22
Prefer not to say
3
4
Unknown/not stated
580
407
Total
605
433
Total
Ethnicity
Sexual orientation
10
Appendix F
WEST MERCIA POLICE
EMPLOYMENT MONITORING REPORT
April 2013 – Dec 2014
11
CONTENTS
1. Executive Summary
2. Workforce Composition
a. Staffing Levels: Police Officers and Police Staff
b. Analysis of Workforce Diversity by Protected Characteristics
3. Recruitment
Police officers
Police staff
Special Constabulary
4. Retention and Progression
a. Leavers
b. Appraisals
c. Promotions
d. Training Requests
5. Discipline & Grievances
a. Disciplinary Action
b. Grievances
12
GLOSSARY and ABBREVIATIONS
BME
Black and Minority Ethnic Background
Gender
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles,
behaviours, activities and attributes that a given
society considers appropriate for men and women.
For purposes of the Equality Act (2010) Gender and
Sex are used interchangeably (EHRC 2012).
Gender reassignment applies to the process of
Gender
Reassignment transitioning from one gender to another. The
Equality Act uses the term transsexual to describe
people who intend to transition, are transitioning or
have transitioned.
LGB
Lesbian Gay & Bisexual
Race
Race is an umbrella term which covers:
Ethnicity, Colour and Nationality (EHRC)
Sex
Terms sex and gender are used and understood
interchangeably for purposes of the Equality Act
(2010) (EHRC 2012)
Transsexual
Term used by the Equality Act to describe
individuals intending to undergo, undergoing or
having undergone the process of gender
reassignment (EHRC 2012)
13
1.
Executive Summary
West Mercia Police (WMP) is committed to providing a place of work where equality of
opportunity is available to all and encourages applications from those that have been
historically under-represented to create a workforce representative of all the communities it
serves.
This report gives an overview of the diverse composition of the workforce. It also identifies
any anomalies linked to those that identify as belonging to a minority group when
considering recruitment, retention, progression, disciplinary action and grievance.
WMP has continued to undergo a significant period of change - with the continued
development of the strategic alliance with Warwickshire Police in order to provide
resilience to policing services across the two forces, whilst also delivering the financial
efficiencies and cost savings made necessary in the current financial climate.
Current Workforce
A reduction in overall establishment will continue to be an inevitable by-product of the
ongoing change process. The exception to this has been the continued growth in the
numbers of volunteer Special Constables.
Recruitment
During the 2013 reporting period, external recruitment had been restricted in order to
protect the current workforce during the ongoing change process. Opportunities to
enhance the diversity composition of the workforce during this period have therefore been
limited.
In September 2014 Police Officer recruitment was opened to external candidates. The
National process has been implemented and candidates will be required to demonstrate
their ability and eligibility throughout the process.
Retention and Progression
During 2013/14 Police Officer promotion Boards for the ranks of Chief Superintendent,
Chief Inspector and Inspector were held in conjunction with Warwickshire Police.
Many roles for police staff have been harmonised to align pay grades as part of the on
going Alliance work with staff roles being reviewed. Within the new Policing Model a
significant proportion of Police Officers were aligned to new Safer Neighbourhood Teams
and Patrol Areas.
In June 2014 – the launch of the new PDR process was implemented; this will now allow
individuals to complete their evidence electronically on an on going basis and for
supervisors to review on a regular basis.
14
2. Workforce Composition
On the 31st December 2014 West Mercia Police overall workforce total is 4074 comprising
Police Officers 47.8% (1944)
Police Staff including Police Community Support Officers 44% (1796)
Special Constables 8.2%. (334)
Police Staff figures all include PCSO’s.
Protected
Characteristic
Observations
Age
The majority of Police Officers fall into the 41-55 age groups,
The majority of Police Staff fall into the 41-55 age groups.
For both Police Officers and staff, the numbers within the 25 and
under age band are relatively low. This may be due to limited
recruitment opportunities for the first part of the reporting year.
Student Police Officer recruitment opened in September 2014. This
may see an increase of officers within this age band from 1st April
2015.
The number of Special Constables who are 25 and under remains
proportionately higher; Specials recruitment has been active
throughout the year.
Within the over 55 age band, Police Staff represent the highest
number. There are very few officers aged over 55 due to the
compulsory retirement age of 60.
Disability
Disability is a voluntary declaration and the data will not reflect the
true figures of individuals who could declare a disability. Currently
1.8% of Police Officers have declared a disability, 2.9% Police Staff
and the Special Constables are showing no declared disability.
Gender
Reassignment
Gender Reassignment is a voluntary declaration 1 individual has
declared this protected characteristic.
Marital Status
The majority of officers and staff have indicated ‘marriage or civil
partnerships’
64% Police Officers
15
57.8% Police Staff
The majority of Special Constables (81.5%) are single
Pregnancy and
Maternity
103 individuals were recorded as taking maternity leave
58 Police Officers
45 Police Staff
Race
Workforce Black and Minority (BME) representation is 2% which is
an increase of 0.3% from the previous reporting year.
Police Staff representation is 2.1%
Police Officer is 1.9% an increase of 0.1% on the previous reporting
year
The Special Constabulary representation is 3% an increase of 0.8%
on the previous reporting year.
The majority of all BME Police Officers are Constables and Police
Staff are in the pay band 4-6
Religion and
Belief
Of 1157 Police Officer and Police staff who have declared their
Religion and Belief:
89.6% are Christians
0.6% are Muslims
0.5% are Sikhs
0.6% Hindu, Buddhists or Jewish
16
Sex
The National target for representation of female Police Officers as
set by the British Association Woman Policing (BAWP) is 35%.
Female officer representation is 30.1% of the Police Officer
workforce; this is an increase of 1.1% on the previous year.
Female Police Staff representation is 59.9% of the Police Staff
workforce; this is an increase of 7.1% on the previous reporting
year.
Female Special Constables represent 32.9% of the Special
Constabulary an increase of 0.6% on the previous year.
Sexual
Orientation
Sexual Orientation is a voluntary declaration and the data will not
reflect the true figures.
Of 1923 Police Officers who have provided this data:
71 % have not declared their sexual orientation
27% declared as heterosexual
0.7% are Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual
Of 1787 members of Police Staff who have provided this data:
78% have not declared their sexual orientation
20.9% declared heterosexual
0.6% Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual
Of 335 Special Constables who have provided this data:
84.7% have not declared their sexual orientation
13.1% declared as heterosexual
1.4% as Gay/Lesbian/ Bisexual.
17
3. Recruitment
During this reporting period, Police Officer recruitment opened to external candidates in
September 2014. Approx 850 applications have been returned.
Between September and December 2014 – 58 Officers have started within their Police
Student Officer role. There were 26 transferees recruited between September and
December 2014.
The number of police staff posts advertised during this period was 337 of which 4 of these
adverts were for PCSO.
It should be noted all vacancies are put through to redeployment to ensure police staff that
are at risk of redundancy have the opportunity to apply. 100 Police Staff on redeployment
have been placed into a role within Warwickshire Police or West Mercia Police.
168 Police Staff new starters of which 83 female and 9 BME background.
PCSO recruitment has been active through this period.
208 applications were received
119 candidates were successful at interview
43 new employees started
Special Constables recruitment has remained active during this period; three
assessment centres took place to assess potential new Special Constables for
Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police
235 Applications were received
173 were invited to the assessment centre, 89 candidates were successful. (17 female and
3 from BME background)
8 officers have started (2 female and all White British).
4. Retention and Progression
a. Leavers
During this reporting period 173 of Police Officers, 357 Police Staff and 116 Special
Constables left West Mercia Police.
The two main reasons for Police Officer leavers were voluntary resignation and retirement.
The main reason for Police Staff leaving was voluntary resignation.
The main reason for a Special Officer was voluntary resignation
18
b. Appraisals
A new appraisal system was launched in June 2014. Appraisals with individual line
managers are carried out at the end of each year. Throughout the year interim
assessments can be carried out and if an individual changes role the PDR will be updated
accordingly with the new personal qualities, also allowing the previous line manager to add
their comments.
The new process allows for:

Objectives to be set accordingly

Personal Qualities of the role profile – individuals add their own evidence
throughout the year

Career Aspirations

Training requests

Sign off from first and second line managers.
Full data on the new process will be available at year end 2015
c. Promotions
From April 2014 to December 2014 promotion boards were held for Chief Superintendent,
Superintendent, Inspector and Sergeant.
Chief Superintendent 9 applications received (male) and all invited to interview. 1BME
candidate and non declared a Disability. There was 1 successful candidate.
Superintendent 27 applications received and 13 candidates were invited to interview (1
female and 12 male, I BME candidate and no declared disabilities) and 4 were successful
(male).
Inspector’s 81 applications received and 49 candidates were invited to interview (9
females, 40 males and 2 candidates BME background) and 31 were successful (26 male
and 5 females). No declared disabilities.
Sergeants 138 applications received and 85 candidates attended interview (17 female, 68
male, 4 BME candidates and no declared disability). 51 were successful (11 female, 40
male and 2 BME candidates).
19
d. Training Requests
The figures show that of 2413 training requests received during the reporting. The majority
of the requests fell into the 26-40 and 41-55 age group.
The protected characteristics of those requests recorded as:
Female officers and staff 17.9%
17 declared disabilities
27 individuals from a BME background
235 Christian, 4 Muslim, 2 Buddhist, 1 Jewish. 1 Hindu and 1 Sikh
240 heterosexual, 6 Gay/Lesbian and 6 bisexual
5. Disciplinary Action and Grievance
Disciplinary Action
The data refers to all cases concluded during this reporting period, through formal
disciplinary hearing or meeting. Where an individual resigned as an alternative to facing
disciplinary charges, these are included for completeness.
There were 59 cases. 5 of the individuals facing disciplinary charges were from a BME
background.
The age range of individuals facing disciplinary charges falls between 25 years and 62
years and of the 59 individuals facing disciplinary charges, 27 were female Police Officers
and 3 female Police Staff member. 13 individuals were dismissed.
Grievance
During the reporting period 45 Grievance cases were progressed.
There were no declared disabilities and there were no individuals recorded as BME
20