Black people in Hertfordshire underrepresented in police force

The figures are from the Home Office
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Black people in Hertfordshire are underrepresented in their police force according to figures from the Home Office.

Data shows there were just 15 black officers in Hertfordshire Constabulary at the end of March – a rate of 7.1 per 1,000 officers whose ethnicity was recorded.

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But a recent analysis by the Government Statistical Service shows that 26.3 per 1,000 people in the local area are black – more than three times the rate in the police workforce.

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Rates were calculated using police force area population estimates from mid-2016 – the latest year with an ethnicity breakdown.

The National Black Police Association says disproportionate use of police powers on black people in England and Wales means fewer members of the community are attracted to policing as a career.

Across all police forces in England and Wales, 12.6 per 1,000 officers were black, while the figure for the population stood at 33.7.

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Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, said police forces have been too slow and inconsistent in addressing a lack of diversity in their ranks.

He said: “Black communities are facing the most disproportionate use of police powers, particularly stop and search and use of force.

“This will inevitably lead to fewer members of the community seeing policing as a viable career.”

Mr George said the Government’s pledge to recruit 20,000 extra officers by 2023 offered a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to make police forces reflective of the communities they serve.

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He added: “The National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Government need to be bolder in their approach to this and advocate for a short period of positive discrimination during the uplift.”

A report released earlier this year by the Police Foundation think tank said increasing levels of diversity in police forces since 2007 had mainly been driven by the recruitment of Asian and mixed ethnicity officers, while black representation had “barely increased”.

As of June, the force has 106 police officers from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, up from 90 in March last year, when you include PCSOs, which is a public facing role, it goes up to 121.

This still underrepresents the community – the figure accounts for 48.1 per 1,000 officers while BAME people make up 126.4 in 1,000 of the population – but the disparity is greater for black people specifically.

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Assistant Chief Constable Bill Jephson said: “The reasons for under-presentation are complex and are reflected across the majority of UK police forces. However we have made considerable efforts to tackle this issue in Hertfordshire.

“Through our recruitment processes, we continue to reach out to people right across our community to say please come forward and apply to us.

"Our dedicated Positive Action team helps candidates from diverse groups through the application process with support and mentoring.

“When including public facing roles such as PCSOs, we currently have 121 officers and staff from black, Asian or other minority ethnic groups.

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"And in our latest police officer recruitment drive, 8% of the successful candidates identified as BAME, indicating that we are making some progress in this area.

“The constabulary is a great place to work with personal and professional support, training and opportunities for career development.

"We also have active and engaged representation groups and senior leaders with responsibility for diversity issues.

"The interests of minority groups are well represented and they have a strong voice within the organisation.

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“We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve and protect, and welcome applications from people from all ethnicities.

"For more information on joining go to hertspoliceofficer.co.uk/diversity.”

Across all 43 police forces, BAME officers accounted for 73.0 in 1,000 officers who stated their ethnicity, an increase from 69.4 the previous year and 46.2 in 2010.

But the Home Office said this still “considerably underrepresents” those communities – BAME people make up 145.2 per 1,000 of England and Wales's population, according to mid-2016 estimates.

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Mr George said grouping entire communities together under the umbrella term BAME leads to police forces not understanding the unique needs of individual communities and their trust in the police.

Ian Hopkins, the NPCC's lead for diversity, equality and inclusion, said: "The slower rate of progress in recruiting black police officers is likely to reflect the fact that confidence in police has historically been lower among black people than white or Asian."

But he added that the drive to recruit 20,000 new officers was a "generational opportunity" to address this.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The Government wants to see people from all backgrounds joining the police, with police forces that are representative of the community they serve.

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“That’s why the Home Secretary has today written to police chiefs to urge them to grasp the opportunity the recruitment of 20,000 additional officers presents when it comes to diversifying the police.

“The Home Secretary has also discussed this issue with police leaders via the National Policing Board and is clear that she wants officers from all backgrounds to be able to progress up the ranks.”