Senior national police visit Hertfordshire to witness force’s work to tackle racial disparities
Senior national police paid a visit to Hertfordshire Constabulary’s headquarters to witness the force’s work to tackle racial disparity within the county.
The National Police Chiefs Council’s leadership team for the Police Race Action Plan joined Herts Police’s Race Inclusion Board for a meeting to hear about work to set up a Race Inclusion Forum for those of school age in Hertfordshire.
An update was also provided on stop and search training, which aims to increase officer understanding of the impact of this practice on individuals.
Stop and search is often cited as a significant reason for low levels of trust in policing within the black community.
Reflecting on the visit, Dr Alison Heydari, the most senior black police officer in the UK said: “It was a pleasure to hear about some truly fantastic work going on in Hertfordshire in relation to the Police Race Action Plan.
“From the collaborative work to help educate officers about what it feels like to be stop and searched through to innovative ways of communication and evaluation, I was left feeling extremely reassured that Hertfordshire is making excellent progress in its journey to become an anti-racist police service.
“Thank you for the warm welcome. There is so much good work being done, though we all accept there is so much more to do.”
Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Akehurst, who is the chief officer lead for the Police Race Action Plan in Hertfordshire added: “We were delighted to welcome Dr Heydari and the national team to our Race Inclusion Board.
“It gave officers and Board members the chance to see and hear about work in this area from a countywide perspective.
“Here in Herts, we are actively working on ways to ensure black voices are heard and are helping to shape policing in the county.
“Our hope is that in the months and years to come this work will be seen and felt by black people in Hertfordshire.”
Hertfordshire Police’s Race Inclusion Board consists of a panel of black volunteer members of the public who meet with senior officers in the county to scrutinise and advise on the force’s work towards the Police Race Action Plan.