Staffordshire Police outlines its commitment to anti-racist police plan

Staffordshire Police is outlining its commitment to the national Police Race Action Plan as it develops a local plan aimed at building trust amongst black communities in Staffordshire.

The national Police Race Action Plan was developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing to address race disparities in policing affecting black people.

All 43 Chief Constables in England and Wales signed up to deliver the plan in an aim to create an anti-racist police service that better understands black communities.

The plan aims to give police officers the tools they need to build trust and confidence in black communities, so they are better equipped to challenge racism and address engrained cultural biases.

The plan builds on the work Staffordshire Police has delivered in recent years to address racial disparities in policing, including:

• Creating an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team in the force with a focus on engaging with black communities to understand their views on policing
• Developing a positive action plan to make the Staffordshire Police workforce more representative of the communities it serves
• Establishing and supporting a Multi-Cultural Association within the force.

Staffordshire’s local plan is based around the deliverables in the national plan, with a particular focus on increasing engagement, improving racial disparities in the workforce, improving support for victims and tackling racial disparities in the use of police powers, such as stop and search.

Chief Constable Chris Noble said: “The Police Race Action Plan is an ambitious and hard-hitting plan which sets out a number of commitments and actions to build trust in policing amongst black communities.

“Much has been done already to address racism in the police and society. Staffordshire Police is more inclusive, more diverse and more reflective of its communities than it’s ever been and we are absolutely committed to tackling discrimination in all its forms. But the challenges faced by black communities remain fundamental and need specific attention – that’s why I am leading this work to implement the plan locally.

“Going forward, I want the black community to have the highest levels of trust and confidence in Staffordshire Police and for the force to be career choice for black people across Staffordshire, with my black policing colleagues rising to the highest ranks of the service.

“I also want those with lived experiences of black and diverse communities, both within and outside of policing, to have a direct influence on police policies and practices. As part of our delivery of the plan, we will be reaching out to key people in the black community to provide insight, challenge and scrutiny of our work.

“The work we do to deliver the plan locally will generate learning points and new approaches for improving trust and confidence amongst all diverse communities. Without their trust and confidence, policing is less effective at protecting all communities.”

As part of the public consultation on the national plan, there is an opportunity to feedback your views which will shape the next iteration of the plan, which will be published early next year. Have your say here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PlanFeedback/

The survey closes on 28 August 2022.