Improving Policing Together – our Race Action Plan
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At Thames Valley Police, our mission is to protect our communities with a vision to be an excellent police force trusted by all our communities. We are more inclusive, more diverse, and more reflective of our communities than we have ever been, however we must not be complacent.
The work currently under development in our force focussed on diversity and inclusion was recently acknowledged in the latest HMICFRS report; from senior leaders promoting an inclusive and supportive force culture, to frontline officers consulting with members of the Black community, together we are improving policing.
This Race Equality Week, with its topic of #ListenActChange, as a Bronze Race Equality Matters Trailblazer, we are proud to launch the latest iteration of our force’s Race Action Plan, shaped by the recommendations of our ethnic minority communities.
A summer of consultations
In summer 2023, Thames Valley Police conducted a third public consultation phase for our local Race Action Plan, with the aim of engaging further with our Black communities and getting an in-depth insight into their understanding of our plan, and their recommendations for it. Throughout the consultation:
- Over 2,600 people of Black Heritage were engaged with during 41 Race Action Plan events, and 321 formal feedback forms were submitted, which allowed us to update our force’s Race Action Plan.
- The majority of respondents had confidence that the TVP Race Action Plan is improving policing for Black and ethnic minority people (69% cf. 30% nationally).
- In addition, 100 engagement activities were recorded with Black communities over July, August and September, all led by Neighbourhood Teams, as part of the force’s objective to improve local community policing and engagement with seldom heard communities.
As part of the force’s objective to improve local community policing and engagement with seldom heard communities, our force has been busy driving forward our Race Action Plan.
Learn more about this public consultation from our TVP Race Action Plan newsletter.
Our latest Race Action Plan
The responses received during all phases of public consultation have allowed us to develop our plan to its current state.
Today we are delighted to publish the latest version of our Race Action Plan, setting out our plans and priorities for the years ahead.
ACC Dennis Murray: “As the Chief Officer leading this vital piece of work, and being fully supported by our Chief Constable Jason Hogg, I am resolute that the Race Action Plan is lifted from the page and turned into demonstrable action that improves the way we deliver policing services for and builds the trust and confidence of our ethnic minority people and communities within the Thames Valley. Ethnic minority communities will only have confidence to engage with us and join us if they are reassured that this is not a ‘tick box’ exercise. I can reassure them that it is not, and delivery of the plan outcomes is essential to ensuring the culture of Thames Valley.”
Why is the Race Action Plan important?
Our Race Action Plan focusses on four workstreams, enabling our minority ethnic communities and colleagues to feel:
- Represented - We want communities to see themselves when they look at policing. This is about representation, retention, and our internal culture.
- Respected - We want to treat our communities fairly, with respect and dignity. This is about eliminating any racial bias and disproportionality.
- Involved - We want to involve our communities in policing. This is about knowing where our communities are and improving our engagement with them.
- Protected - We want to protect our communities. This is about taking action if some communities get a different service to others.
The service we provide to our communities and the environment we create for our people must be actively anti-racist, anti-discriminatory and inclusive for all.
The Senior Responsible Officer for the national Police Race Action Plan, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, said:
“We have much to do to secure the confidence of all our communities, remove discrimination, and I welcome the news that another force have launched their Police Race Action Plan.
“Taking this step is vital in making changes needed to improve policing for Black people and shows the commitment Thames Valley Police has to being an anti-discriminatory police force that is trusted by everyone it serves.”
Get involved
We encourage all members of our communities to visit our Race Action Plan page to learn more about the plan and about the various ways in which they can get involved.
From sharing information about the plan with family and friends and raising awareness, completing our anonymous survey, to attending community events, we can all play a part in driving forward our Race Action Plan.