Thames Valley Police, the force covering Milton Keynes, has joined over 800 employers in signing the Race at Work Charter.
Businesses are being encouraged to commit to improving equal opportunities for Black, Asian, Mixed Race and ethnically diverse employees in the UK, through the community.
By signing up to the charter, Thames Valley Police are reflecting on the ongoing work to improve the trust and confidence of its diverse communities across the Thames Valley area, including Milton Keynes.
Dennis Murray QPM, Assistant Chief Constable at Thames Valley Police, said: “Thames Valley Police has been and will continue to focus on these complex issues and through our localised Police Race Action Plan we will put in place demonstrable activity to ensure everyone internally and externally is protected, respected, involved and represented.
“Signing this charter helps show our officers and staff that we are committed to delivering sustainable change and equality of opportunity for all our ethnically diverse employees.”
Findings from BITC’s 2021 Race at Work Survey found that while 76% of employers said that race recruitment and progression was a priority, only 46% had set targets to improve the racial diversity of their boards.
Work is already underway on the Thames Valley Police Race Action Plan, led by Assistant Chief Constable Dennis Murray QPM.
Last month, Thames Valley Police welcomed the launch of the Police Race Action Plan and outlined the work already underway to improve the trust and confidence of its diverse communities, especially its Black communities, and to address any racial disparities in the service.
The plan recognises a lot of work to address racism within policing is underway but, equally, discrimination and bias still exist. Racism, bias and discrimination are societal issues, which clearly go beyond policing.
You can find out how the charter commits organisations to to improve equality of opportunity in the workplace here
