DIVERSITY & INCLUSION


DANCING FOR A DIVERSE FORCE


West Yorkshire PC Dharmesh Mistry talks about engaging the force with Hindu festivities to further West Yorkshire Hindu Police Association’s equality and inclusion work. By Stavan Desai


community during last year’s Navratri celebrations


I joined the West Yorkshire Police Constabulary in May 2005. During these 18 years, I have predominantly been a Response Officer in the Bradford district. Being passionate about helping others to make a difference, I joined the Peoples’ Development Unit as a Student Assessor in 2015. This opened doors to address the interconnection between police recruitment and diversity, equality and inclusion. I observed that the Indian


32 | POLICE | APRIL 2023


community, to which I belong, required more representation across the force to further connect and help the communities we serve and protect.


In my previous article, Building Bridges (POLICE, December 2021), I provided an insight into how my colleagues and I work within the community to raise the profile of our force for better understanding on both sides. To extend this initiative and reinforce community engagement, we


have been inviting members of the force to attend community events, particularly the Navratri festivities, which run for nine nights and 10 days.


Navratri is a Sanskrit word that means “nine nights”, with “nava” meaning “nine” and “ratri” meaning “nights”. During this festival, the nine different avatars of Goddess Shakti are worshipped on each day as we celebrate the victory of good over evil. This is based on the mythological


the West Yorkshire Police and members of the Hindu


PC Dharmesh Mistry (far right) with members of


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