Sussex Police continues its commitment to racial equality by signing up to the Race at Work Charter

Photo credit: Sussex Police

The force is now a signatory of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter, which launched in partnership with the UK government in 2018 with a view to improving the experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees in the workplace.

By signing up to the charter, Sussex Police is making a public commitment to taking practical steps in tackling barriers that individuals face in recruitment and progression, and to ensure it is representative of the communities it serves.

Deputy Chief Constable Julia Chapman said: “We know that people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities still face significant disparities in employment and progression, and this is something we want to change.

“We have existing initiatives and activities in place, but we are committed to continuing to develop our approach. We will be exploring further opportunities to improve our workforce representation, in particular looking at how we can raise awareness among our diverse communities of the great career opportunities and progression on offer for both police officers and police staff.

“At Sussex Police, we are passionate about inclusion and diversity, and we want to keep conversations about race, equality and inclusion in our everyday discussions throughout the year.”

By signing up to the Race at Work Charter, Sussex Police will look to build upon the initiatives already in place. This includes a dedicated Positive Action Team, who engage with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to provide advice on policing careers to encourage applications.

This has already seen a positive uptake in the number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic recruits, with 11.3 per cent in the last financial year compared to a three-year average of 5.9 per cent.

The force has an established Race Advisory Group, comprising a wide range of diverse members of the public from across our communities. It’s independently chaired and plays a critical role in advising on force policies and our approach to policing. The group provides the force with many insightful discussions and views around perception and experiences of policing in Sussex.

Sussex Police also has a Race Equality Champion, who provides visible leadership within the organisation on race equality, and an active Race Equality Staff Network group that provides support and advice to colleagues and forms part of the force’s police review process to ensure they are fit for purpose. 

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