Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Strategy 2022-23
Our aim
North Yorkshire Police aim to be an organisation that is truly representative of the diverse communities we serve. We will be inclusive and outward-looking in our engagement, working with partner agencies and the public to build services that are accessible to all. We aim to be an organisation that inspires the confidence of every community in our ability to deliver fair and effective policing.
We will be an organisation that is free from discrimination, where our staff treat everyone with respect, dignity and according to their needs and in line with our shared values.
Our strategy
We will work with partners, our communities, our support networks and our staff and accept nothing less than becoming a fully inclusive organisation. We will achieve our aim by using a strategy which focuses upon two elements:
Our communities
We will increase the confidence of all communities across North Yorkshire. We will be transparent and open, ensuring that our policing powers are used fairly and effectively, welcoming scrutiny of their use. We will identify any instance of disproportionality in our service delivery and address it. We will take ownership of our mistakes and learn from them, removing any institutional defensiveness.
We will improve how we work with communities, partners, independent advisory groups and critical friends to develop a service that is accessible and responsive. We will learn from others and share best practice to improve our reach as an organisation and a service. We will build stronger relationships which continuously improve and develop our organisation.
We will learn to engage with all communities within the county, whether resident or visiting, in a manner that best suits them. We will strive to ensure that all voices are heard and concerns are listened to and understood. We will ensure that community engagement is a core part of our policing role. We will build stronger independent advisory groups and other scrutiny panels which will help us better understand the impact of our service.
Working with our communities we will better understand the prejudice they face and how we can help eliminate it. We will work with partners to improve confidence in reporting hate crimes and incidents, providing better support to victims. We will improve the confidence of all our communities in North Yorkshire Police by delivering an effective and consistently high standard of investigation.
Our people
We will use Positive Action and engagement to attract, recruit and retain people from a wide range of backgrounds and communities, creating a truly representative organisation. We will create an environment where people feel confident to disclose their protected characteristics and feel safe and valued for who they are. Our communities will see themselves reflected in our workforce.
We will set our organisation up for success by building an environment and structure that provides equality of opportunity for everyone. We will provide timely, quality and credible learning and development which is guided by our communities both internally and externally, ensuring we have a competent, informed workforce. We will support the development and progression of our people to ensure representation at all levels, creating an environment where people can be the best version of themselves.
We will create a culture where people feel engaged, valued and a part of the organisation, enabling individuals to bring their whole self to work. We will develop our people to be motivated, ethical and engaged, taking ownership of issues to achieve success. We recognise that we are all leaders, who have a part to play in creating an inclusive organisation that will challenge and tackle prejudice and discrimination wherever it is found. Our leaders will be given the skills and knowledge to achieve our aims modelling the behaviours expected of a modern Police Service.