Strategic Diversity Group
Minutes
Date: 11 December 2014
Chair: CC Andy Parker
Minute-taker: Anne Twigg, PA to Chief Officers
Name
Attendance: Andy Parker
Penny Curtis
Apologies:
Capacity
Joan King
Bal Kular-Taylor
Ken Mackaill
Brendan McGovern
Zaid Khan
Nav Malik
Dave Watts
Steve Cullen
Martin McNevin
Dean Jones
Debbie Mullis
Andy Nichols
Sophie Woods
Adrian Symonds
Gill Christie
Justin Taylor
Jackie Irvin
Jo-an Golding
Elaine Peberdy
Kam Bria
Greg Tudge
Clare Dance
Anne Twigg
Chief Constable
HR Officer – Diversity and Employee
Engagement
Chair, LGBT IAG, West Mercia
Chair, MERGe
West Mercia Police Federation
Det Sgt, Protective Services
BPA, Warwickshire
Supt, IAG Review
Business Planning Manager, BA&I
T/Chief Supt
Chief Supt, Protective Services
Detective Inspector
OPCC Warwickshire
Estates Project Manager
Trans Police Association
Equality & Diversity Advisor
HR People Development
T/Det Inspector
OPCC West Mercia
Equality & Diversity Advisor
Women’s Network
Inspector, College of Policing
Police Sergeant, College of Policing
PA to Chief Officers
PA to Chief Officers
Kal Parkash
Anne Shaw
Jim Essex
Andy Rowsell
Heather Costello
Amanda Blakeman
Janet Marsden
Dennis Isaac
Elizabeth Baio
Strategic Equality & Diversity Officer
Equality & Diversity Advisor
Supt, Crime Manager
Chief Supt, Local Policing
Director of Finance
T/ACC
Inspector Harm Reduction
Disability IAG
Disability IAG
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Open Session
No.
Item
1. Attendance & Apologies
As listed above.
Andy Parker welcomed two guests from the College of Policing.
2. Minutes of the last meeting held on 10th September 2014
Jo-An Golding informed that she was present at the last meeting.
amended to reflect her attendance.
Minutes are to be
Update on Actions
Agenda Item for next meeting – Police Officer Recruitment Update – Evaluation and
Response to Recruitment Campaign (Penny Curtis).
Item included on today’s agenda. Discharged.
Kal Parkash to include an agenda item for the SDG meeting taking place in Spring next
year to discuss the evaluation of the Citizen Academies pilot scheme.
There has been discussion about this being on the agenda of SDG meeting. Discharged.
CC David Shaw, ACC Gareth Morgan and Kal Parkash to meet to discuss the IAG Review.
Meeting held on 30th September 2014. Discharged.
3. BME Progression 2018
Inspector Kam Bria, College of Policing gave a presentation on the BME progression
programme.
CC Andy Parker thanked Kam Bria and Greg Tudge for attending.
4. Police Officer Recruitment
Penny Curtis gave an update in respect of police recruitment as follows:
Recruitment

Current Applications for Student Police Officers in the process
634 – (191 Female 30%).

Current BME Applications for Student Police Officers received - 38
32 in the process (5 Female 15.6%) - 6 failed applications.
The process consists of the following with the number of BME applications at each
stage:


BME through paper sift
BME passed CBQ
18
5
2



BME passed Assessment Centre
BME passed interview
Accepted
4
4
1
Applications have also been received from the following Protective Characteristics –
Declared Disability 24 of which 6 are female, LGBT 15 applications.
Gill Christie indicated that in respect of future Student Officer Campaign they were going to
advertise in the Birmingham Mail and funding had been requested to facilitate this. Also
vacancies were to be advertised on ethnic jobsite and local radio. CC Andy Parker asked if
we were going into communities in order to seek recruits and it was indicated that they were
going into Mosques etc. The funding required was approximately £3000 prior to March
2015.
The following statistics had been complied in order to indicate the current geographical
areas of BME applications received in order to assist in identifying where future advertising
may need to be targeted to support communities who may be underrepresented. This will
be continually monitored. Postcodes can be made available if required.
West Midlands
Worcestershire
Warwickshire
Staffordshire
Telford
Cardiff
Devon
Oxfordshire
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Leicestershire
16
5
7
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
Interview Panels
A further two KSA interview courses have been delivered to Sgt/Insp. In total 16 trained
from BME/ Disability/LGBT groups.
Across the forces there are now a total of 180 trained KSA interviewers.
Transferees
Currently 9 officers per month are transferring in across the forces.


60 to 70 in the process
50 post interview
5. Embedding Trans Equality
Sophie Wood introduced this item and a document entitled ‘Embedding Trans Equality in
the Equality Improvement Model’ had previously been circulated with the meeting papers.
The document was circulated over 12 months ago by the National Trans Police Association.
Both forces are now engaged in respect of this issue.
Sophie Wood gave an update on the background on the National Trans Police Association
and Trans community in the UK. It was noted that 70% of all trans individuals have been
victims and not reported it.
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The document circulated has 3 actions to deliver in respect of Operational Delivery, People
and Culture and Organisational Processes. Forces progress is being measured in the next
12 months and Sophie Wood made a challenge to the alliance to pledge that these 3
actions are delivered. Operational Delivery is already a working action and more recently
PNC has been changed in the way it records information around trans individuals. There is
a necessity for custody as there would be a breach if you asked for the gender recognition
certificate. Steve Cullen said that he would take an action in relation to reviewing the
custody procedures.
Action 1: Steve Cullen to arrange for a review of the custody procedures.
There was a LGBT Conference in Norwich but neither Warwickshire Police or West Mercia
Police were in attendance.
Sophie Wood has carried out a baseline assessment and looked at the websites for both
forces in relation to trans individuals who want to join Warwickshire Police and West Mercia
Police and found the websites out of date in respect of issues such as Investors in People
and Stonewall 100 employers list. CC Andy Parker informed that we are getting a new
website at the end of March 2015.
Penny Curtis has been liaising with Sophie Wood in the preparation of a guidance
document.
CC Andy Parker stated that this is an area that we need guidance on as we don’t have
many trans officers/staff across the alliance and people are not sure how to deal with the
process. He said that development of this document is important.
Sophie Wood has delivered awareness sessions to other forces but this has not been
proactive for our own forces.
6. Forced Marriage/FGM/Honour Based Violence
Dean Jones, PVP is force lead in respect of Forced Marriage/FGM/Honour Based Violence.
Dean Jones gave a presentation on FGM.
13 SPOC officers have been trained in respect of Forced Marriage/FGM/Honour Based
Violence. The SPOC will advise in individual cases but the cases will still be investigated
by PVP. They are developing a SPOC pack which includes national guidance. The aim is
to educate all officers. A pamphlet that was distributed at the meeting has now been issued
for officers to assist with guidance and contacts for other agencies. There is also a FGM
portal on the force website. There is no specific force strategy in place in respect of this
area.
7. Update on IAG review
Nav Malik indicated that a meeting with IAG chairs was arranged where the timeframes and
bespoke workshops were identified that required active participation by IAG
Chairs/members. Thematic workshops have been arranged throughout January 2015. A
request was also made by Supt Malik in the Diversity meeting for Chairs to ensure that
where possible all IAG members were engaged with the workshops.
8. Staff Network Updates
Elaine Peberdy, Women’s Network – no update as the last meeting was cancelled.
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Bal Kular–Taylor, MERGe said that they are in the process of setting up a joint group. Next
meeting is scheduled for 19th December 2014 and CC David Shaw has been invited to
attend.
9. Stop and Search – Update from Strategic Stop and Search Group
The Stop and Search Scheme was implemented at the end of November. There is now an
observation policy. There is an intrusive audit process and emails are being sent out to
remind officers. West Mercia were the pilot force. This went live 1st December 2014. They
are looking to produce a Dashboard for Managers. The website has been updated around
policy and figures.
10. IAG Updates
Joan King, LGBT IAG informed that she had been involved in open days at Bromsgrove,
Leominster and Telford. She was also involved in the National Hate Crime Awareness
week that took place in November 2014. Within LGBT Group they are reviewing PSEs and
activities and hate crime and support to certain victims is also being reviewed. IAG are
currently looking into the new law in respect of soft porn and direction is awaited from Andy
Rowsell in respect of policy and issues and want involvement he wants from IAG. In the
New Year Communication Centre Staff are to be trained with regard to dealing and
speaking with Trans Gender individuals.
11. AOB
 Annual Equality Duty Report 2014-15
Work has commenced on the Annual Equality Duty Report.
group members to seek ideas.
Contact will be made with
Next meeting - 24th March 2015, 10:00, Allsop Room, Hindlip.
The meeting closed at 16:10.
No Closed Session Recorded
No items reported.
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