Recommendation

Review of Action Plan

Action and target date

64. That the Home Secretary and Police Authorities' policing plans should include targets for recruitment, progression and retention of minority ethnic staff. Police Authorities to report progress to the Home Secretary annually. Such reports to be published.

65. That the Home Office and Police Services should facilitate the development of initiatives to increase the number of qualified minority ethnic recruits

There was broad support in the responses for target setting in recruitment, retention and progression, as a performance indicator, not just in the police but across the public sector as a whole. In the ACPOS Guidance Manual, there is advice for individual forces on the use of targets for recruitment, retention and progression. Certain forces have adopted this approach in the past. ACPOS is also developing a national policy for the retention, recruitment and progression of minority ethnic communities, which was recently seen by Steering Group for comment, and incorporates consideration of the Home Office plan Dismantling Barriers.

ACPOS to publish policy by April 2001

The Executive remains unconvinced that it should set central targets for Scottish forces but proposes to publish annually figures showing the recruitment, retention and progression of minority ethnic officers - these are already available in the HMIC annual report - along with a comparison with previous years, and the level of minority ethnic officers that would be proportionate with the minority ethnic community in the force area. These will provide a clear indication of forces' progress in this area.

(ACPOS, CSREC, CFJC, EMLC, RoSA!!, SCARJ, SE, SP EOC, Skillnet, STUC BWC, UNISON Scotland, WSCRC)

The new Standard Entrance Test for the police should be assessed for discrimination against potential minority ethnic applicants. A comprehensive validation test is now underway involving 1200 applicants to the police service. ACPOS should report on this to the Steering Group after the validation is completed and has been assessed.

(ACPOS, CRE)

The Crown Office is committed to playing its part in the Scottish Executive’s achievement of diversity targets as part of the Government’s programme of Civil Service Reform. This will include pursuing a departmental strategy of positive action to improve recruitment of minority ethnic staff.

Progress in England and Wales

The Home Secretary has set targets for recruitment, retention, and progression for all English and Welsh forces. A 25-point plan (Dismantling Barriers) was launched in August 1999 and is to be completed by September 2001. The first returns from forces on retention have been submitted and the first recruitment milestone is March 2002.

SE to publish information on minority ethnic officers by March 2001

66. That HMIC include in any regular inspection or in a thematic inspection a report on the progress made by Police Services in recruitment, progression and retention of minority ethnic staff

In the course of the normal inspection programme HMIC do monitor and report on the progress of forces relative to recruitment, progression and retention of minority ethnic staff.

In the annual statistical return, the forces are required to submit details in this regard and comment is offered in the HMIC annual report. At the present time forces have not set targets in respect of these areas.