Diversity is key for modern Scottish police force
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OCTOBER was Black History Month when the focus is on celebrating the achievements, contributions and successes of Black and Minority Ethnic people (BME), writes PC Louis Jullien.
As an organisation, Police Scotland is fully engaged in celebrating Black History Month, in partnership with SEMPER Scotland, which is our staff association supporting and representing BME officers and staff.
Beyond Black History Month, Police Scotland is committed to increasing diversity within our workforce. Scotland itself is an increasingly diverse country, and to have a police service that is reflective of the population, focussed work needs to be carried out.
Having a diverse workforce will fulfil our duties under the Equality Act 2010, and it is morally the right thing to do. Everything we do is underpinned by our values of Integrity, Fairness, Respect and Human Rights.
Having police officers from varied backgrounds can also bring additional skills such as language and an understanding of cultural, religious differences which can enhance the service we deliver.
For our young BME people, seeing a BME police officer being successful in their policing career can provide them with a hugely positive role model; which will foster confidence and ultimately inspire them to join the service.
There are other groups we need to do more to encourage applying to join the police, these include women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. People from under-represented groups are not treated any differently in our recruitment processes, but we do recognise that there may be barriers preventing them from applying. The Positive Action Team’s purpose is to encourage them to consider policing as a career and to support them by addressing any concerns or fears that they may have.
It is also important to note that all candidates have to go through the same selection steps, regardless of their background, so the process remains fair to all.
In some cases, awareness and communication are key. Thinking about my own experience, as a foreign national living in Scotland, for the longest time I never considered the police as a career. This was because I did not know I would even be eligible to apply.
Furthermore, as an openly gay man, I was concerned that, in addition to my different nationality, the police would not be interested in hiring someone like me. Unlike so many of my Scottish or British colleagues, I did not have any friends or family within the police service and I would have never dared to attend at a police station to ask my local officers about joining and recruitment.
I was however determined to give it my best attempt, as I wanted a job where your day is never like the previous one, and where you get to make a real, positive impact on people’s lives.
I have now been a constable for six years and I have never looked back. It really is a job like no other, with its fair share of challenges and tough days but also hugely rewarding. Looking back, if I had been able to attend a Positive Action Team recruitment event, I would likely have been a lot more prepared and confident when applying.
To provide people from under-represented groups the information they need to make the decision to apply and to find out all about the process, the Positive Action Team runs regular recruitment events aimed at those groups.
The Positive Action Team events and the support offered to potential recruits are vital and necessary, to achieve progress towards our goal of reflecting the communities we serve and our commitment to our duties under the Equality Act 2010.
To find out more about any upcoming Positive Action Team events, you can email RecruitmentPositiveActionTeam@scotland.pnn.police.uk or Louis.Jullien@scotland.pnn.police.uk
Alternatively, you can contact us on 01224 306658. The Positive Action Team also runs a Facebook group called Police Scotland Positive Action which can be joined on request.
