Police Equality and Diversity
We can easily notice nowadays how diverse the UK is becoming. It is highly evident, especially in the more urban areas of the country. The police equality and diversity policy and attitude is, by necessity, changing and adapting to mirror the demographics of the communities in which they serve.
The police constantly strives to ensure a very strong, even unbreakable, link between the police force and members of the community. This has to take race and ethnic issues into consideration. The police force must therefore negate all suggestions of discrimination, however slight, and ensure that the modern police force in England and Wales is fair on everyone.
Apart from being a more ethical stance to take, the level of police equality and diversity will have a large impact upon the service that the force is able to provide to our many communities. By becoming more diverse, the police force is able to integrate itself into our communities much better than it ever has before. By constructing itself from officers of other ethnicities, the police force can be far more approachable to those of a different race, origin, gender or sexuality. The public can therefore feel more inclined to working with the police to promote a greater standard of living and quality of life.
Building bridges is all part of crime prevention. By treating all members of the community with dignity and respect, the police force will enable itself to gain a greater understanding and create a strong yet trustworthy presence. The co-operation of members of any community can greatly help in the reduction of crime. Tensions between the police and the public will thus be eased and a more relaxed, yet effective, atmosphere can be established.
To gain the most from police officers regarding police equality and diversity, the forces across England and Wales are taking several measures. Some forces ask officers to register their own languages, experiences with other cultures and unusual skills so gain from their experience. Other police forces have given aid to female members of the force to help them with their children. In Wales, it is increasingly common to see the police force employ gay officers in order to reduce tension between the police force and the homosexual communities.
The police also operate a scheme of encouraging those of an ethnic minority to join the force. There are currently not enough applicants from such groups and thus the police force has to encourage a greater participation from such communities. This is helping to improve the quality and diversity of the service provided by the police in England and Wales.
Police equality and diversity is paving the way for a far more public-friendly and effective law enforcement service in England and Wales. In doing so the public will be more aware of police activities and all communities will feel more able to work with the police to improve the quality of life in our local residencies. Being diverse is simply what makes the police so able and capable in its crime fighting mission
