CHAIR ASKS


policing has made in its response to violence against women and girls, which I know our PRAP team has been involved in to ensure it is culturally competent and reflects the specific needs of Black women. Police reform should not be an ‘either or’ situation and driving culture change to rid our service of all forms of racism, discrimination and bias should be welcomed. I agree with you, I am sure many people in


and outside policing wish that this plan had been able to achieve more since it launched. I accept the vast scale of the challenge. There is deep, generational trauma and mistrust between Black communities and the police, which sadly will have only deepened for many people in the wake of further incidents and reports since the plan was launched. Driving culture change across policing will take time and it is work that must continue over several years to achieve the change we want to see. What I can say is that


since coming into the programme as director in September, I am incredibly proud to have seen the work happening around the country, both nationally through the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council as well as through local forces, which to me indicates that momentum is building. The fact we have this plan at all and that every Chief Constable is signed up to it is unprecedented for policing in terms of our response to racism. I have been to forces up and down the country and have seen the work of forces and officers determined to deliver real change, from chief and other senior officers through to those on the frontline. There are thousands of officers, staff and volunteers out there in policing working tirelessly with great determination to deliver this plan and change policing for the better for Black communities. Our Independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board (ISOB) has also acknowledged improvements in the plan’s delivery over recent months too. The Police Race Action Plan is also the only programme with a standing agenda item at Chief Constables’ Council, where progress updates are provided to each chief officer in attendance. It is vital that this progress continues.


TL: Do you think the aims of the PRAP should be more specific to encourage forces to comply and attain growth in this area? AH: The vision of the Police Race Action Plan is to improve policing for Black people, which is very specific. To improve the trust


and confidence of Black communities, progress needs to be made across all the workstreams covered by the PRAP. If we can improve representation, address disproportionality and involve Black communities more in our governance, this should form part of a wider picture which we hope all comes back to that central aim, to improve policing for Black people. All forces have licence to deliver their


own activity in support of this plan and tailor their approach to best suit their own local communities. It is also important to remember that when we launched this plan, there was a deliberate focus on actions and activity, to actively show we were committed to deliver anti-racism. Communities didn’t want more warm words, strategies or reports - they wanted policing to deliver action, and


in its view that the environment has got worse rather than better for our Black colleagues during the duration of this plan. This is something our team desperately wants to address and improve. This includes this year working closely with the relevant National Police Chiefs’ Council committees to look at activity which can address disproportionality and put in place better scrutiny in police misconduct, complaints, and professional standards processes. These actions are being scoped by the team and we will outline more concrete proposals soon.


“I have been to forces up and down the country and have seen the work of forces and officers determined to deliver real change, from chief and other senior officers through to those on the frontline”


that is what we have done. That being said, we completely


understand that this plan needs focus, targets and measures to assess its progress and performance. In the autumn we will be issuing an update to the plan which puts the PRAP on a long-term footing. We will outline some high-level strategic ambitions policing should work towards to become anti-racist, as well as clear targets and measures we will use to track forces’ performance in delivery of the plan. ISOB and our wider partners will be involved in shaping these proposals as we look to shift the plan onto a more long term, performance based model.


TL: When it comes to employment tribunals on matters involving race, we see confidentiality clauses being imposed. How do you plan on gaining an understanding of the issues facing black colleagues if they are barred and discouraged from speaking out in some cases? AH: Improving the internal culture of policing is a key part of our plan. The Our Black Workforce survey commissioned to support the PRAP has collected views from more than 1,600 serving Black police officers and staff members. This research found that around three quarters of our Black and Black heritage colleagues have experienced discriminatory behaviour, while the National Black Police Association has been consistent


TL: We know building trust within communities takes many years. Taking this into account, how important is it to commit to a long-term plan to ensure real change happens? AH: It is important to remember that having this plan and the support of every Chief Constable represents positive progress in starting to build and rebuild the relationship between the police and Black


communities. I have visited forces up and down the country to see the work they are doing and I can assure you that activity is happening, in forces in large urban areas through to those in smaller rural areas too. There are thousands of people working or supporting policing to change its culture, processes and governance. However, I fully accept that I wish the plan


had achieved so much more and it has a lot more to do. We are still in a position where there is more emphasis and focus on anti- racism in some forces than others, as well as a lack of awareness and understanding of the plan across policing more widely, outside of those specifically working to deliver this plan. I know the National Police Chiefs’ Council


has raised the plan and how we can work together with the government on it with the Home Secretary, while we will be having further discussions with chief constables about the plan and its long-term future in the autumn too. Whatever the outcome of those discussions, people should be reassured that the Police Race Action Plan will remain a key focus for policing nationally. This plan is not going anywhere and in the autumn, we will publish an update to the plan which puts it on a long term footing, which is exactly what needs to happen if we are to deliver the systemic, long term change that policing needs and Black communities deserve.


27 | POLICE | AUGUST | 2024


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