PSA Lead for Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Mixed Heritage Members, Supt Dave Oram has commented on the update report issued by the National Police Chiefs' Council on the Police Race Action Plan:
“We welcome this report and the ongoing commitment to making UK policing truly anti-racist. We acknowledge and recognise the hard work and dedication of DAC Dr. Alison Heydari, our members and other police and community leaders who have contributed to the Police Race Action Plan (PRAP) since its inception.
“The report contains authentic and reflective commentary from a range of contributors and is honest in addressing the limited pace of progress made so far. We would agree that we have not yet seen the change and influence that is needed, and that combined efforts are needed to ensure the aspirations of the plan are fully met.
“Last year, we provided formal feedback to the PRAP team on key issues we felt should be addressed to proceed with the vision of the plan.
“This included a clear, ongoing commitment from policing leaders and government, including allocated, long-term funding. We stressed the need for forces to be measured and held accountable against the aims of the PRAP and encouraged an anti-racist Code of Practice with specific, tangible activities that could lead to better outcomes.
“It is encouraging to see that many of these recommendations have been taken forward and communicated today. We welcome the intention for the anti-racism commitment to become a permanent fixture in policing. The development of a maturity matrix to measure a force’s progress in delivering anti-racist policing is a significant step forward.
“One of the most critical areas for us, is the continued lack of black officers within our own membership. Our members are among the most senior leaders in policing, and are the future chief officers of UK policing, yet we do not see the diversity in ethnic demographic within these ranks that we see in other public services. This must change. Our own work as an association to address this, such as through the development of the Future Supers programme which now sits with the College of Policing, and our work to influence the Executive Leadership Programme will continue.
“It is encouraging that there is widespread commitment to furthering the work of the PRAP. We believe the continued central funding of a national team to progress with be critical to sustain this momentum.”
