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Police Anti-Racism Commitment
The Anti-Racism Commitment has developed out of the outcome framework that appeared in the first version of the Police Race Action Plan, and which set the overarching ambition of the plan for a police service that was anti-racist and trusted by Black people.
The original outcome framework was drafted following a series of discussions by researchers and subject matter experts at the College of Policing who, between them, had decades of experience of working on diversity, equality and inclusion issues in policing, and a good understanding of the evidence base. The aim of this framework was to provide the Police Race Action Plan with a clearer sense of direction and purpose overall, and its actions with greater coherence.
Also, by showing the breadth of outcomes that would be associated with a police service that was anti-racist, the framework sought to highlight the scale of the challenge and allow the Police Race Action Plan to prioritise activity that would improve policing the most for Black people. The outcome framework was subject to public consultation in 2021 as part of the Britian Thinks report for the Police Race Action Plan.
As the plan has developed, we recognised there was a need to ensure the outcome framework continued to provide direction and purpose to the police service. The outcome framework has already been through multiple rounds of feedback from police, civil society and community stakeholders – and several iterations – before settling on its current form as an Anti-Racism Commitment. In addition, statements of anti-racism by other public bodies that had been subject to wide public engagement were also reviewed.
The idea is that the Anti-Racism Commitment will provide a legacy for the Police Race Action Plan and create an opportunity for Chief Constables to restate their ongoing support for a police service that is anti-racist and continues to work towards racial equity. Like the original outcome framework, the Anti-Racism Commitment sets out the goals of an anti-racist police service. In addition, it also provides a clearer description of what anti-racism means in a policing context, and what is required to become anti-racist.
While the Anti-Racism Commitment is underpinned by insights from research, it deliberately does not include performance measures for monitoring the progress of the police service towards achieving racial equity. These performance measures form part of broader scaffolding that is needed to turn the Anti-Racism Commitment into reality, so feature in the maturity matrix assessment as part of the transition of the Police Race Action Plan into the much wider programme of work across NPCC portfolios.
The hope is that the Anti-Racism Commitment will become a permanent fixture in policing, albeit one that evolves over time as the police service gets better at understanding and responding to the specific needs, circumstances and experiences of individuals and communities.
Our commitment
The police service of England and Wales is committed to anti-racism and racial equity
- Racism is a very real issue in policing.
- We acknowledge the problems we have had with racism in the past and still have today.
- We are sorry for the damage racism has caused and continues to cause.
- Racism – regardless of whether it is individual, institutional or systemic – is completely and utterly unacceptable, and has no place in our profession.
- It is not enough for us to not be racist or to claim not to be racist.
- Anti-racism demands that we are proactive, which is consistent with our legal duties and code of ethics.
- It also requires us to remain vigilant, because racism is insidious and will always be a threat to our model of policing by consent.
Anti-racism and racial equity
Our commitment to anti-racism means
- Taking a stand against racism in all its forms
- Proactively identifying, understanding and tackling racial inequalities in policing
- Reforming policies and practices that lead to people from different ethnic groups being over-policed, under-protected or marginalised
- Working with partners to tackle the racial inequalities that exist in wider society and which are reproduced and sometimes exacerbated by policing
Our commitment to racial equity means
- Producing equality of policing outcomes for people from different ethnic groups by responding to individuals and communities according to their specific needs, circumstances and experiences, with understanding that these will be racialised and with the aim of reducing harm.
It does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’ (racial equality).
Our overall approach
Our commitment involves us
- Being transparent about our actions and accountable for them.
- Showing strong, authentic and consistent leadership.
- Fostering an inclusive and supportive working environment.
- Ensuring everyone who works in policing feels comfortable talking about racism and confident challenging it.
- Seeking out, listening to and understanding people’s lived experiences, and putting them at the heart of what we do.
- Addressing gaps in our data and evidence, but not to put off taking meaningful action.
- Reflecting on, and assessing the impact of our efforts to challenge racism and tackle the racial inequalities that exist in policing and wider society.
The scope of our commitment
Our commitment extends across all the different relationships we have with the public, and is ultimately about us securing the trust and confidence of all ethnic groups.
Culture and workforce - Police officers, staff and volunteers
Powers and procedures – People subjected to police powers
Trust and reconciliation – Communities and citizens
Safety and victimisation – Victims, witnesses and vulnerable people
Equality of policing outcomes
Our commitment calls for overall improvements in policing outcomes alongside an end to racial disparities in those outcomes, however seemingly impossible both may be.
Trust and reconciliation
- Public confidence in the police
- Public trust in the police to be fair and respectful, and understand and deal with community concerns
Culture and workforce
- Attraction, recruitment, development, pay, progression and retention processes
- Representativeness across the workforce
- The likelihood of staff being subjected to misconduct and under-performance procedures
- The experiences of staff in the workplace and of the working culture
Powers and procedures
- The likelihood of people being criminalised by the police
- The use of police powers, procedures and technology
- The harms experienced by people subjected to police powers and procedures
- The experiences of people subjected to police powers and procedures
Safety and victimisation
- The likelihood of people being victims of crime or antisocial behaviour, or experiencing harm
- Feelings of safety and the fear of crime
- The police responses to crime, antisocial behaviour and concerns for safety
- The experiences of victims, witnesses and vulnerable people
Appendix
Delivering the anti-racist commitment enables policing to meet its relevant legal duties, such as
- Section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998: It is unlawful for the police to act in a way that is incompatible with a person’s human rights.
- Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010: The police must have due regard to the need to:
- eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the act
- advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a protected characteristic and those who do not (and, in particular, the need to remove or minimise disadvantages, take steps to meet needs, and encourage participation in public life or other activity)
- foster good relations between persons who share a protected characteristic and those who do not (and, in particular, the need to tackle prejudice and promote understanding)
The commitment is also a practical response to points and recommendations made in several seminal independent reports.