Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Accepted
In July 2021, the Home Affairs Select Committee reported that it was extremely disappointing that...
Recommendation
In July 2021, the Home Affairs Select Committee reported that it was extremely disappointing that 22 years after the publication of the Macpherson report the police service is still a very long way from being representative of the diverse communities it serves. It said that despite commitments made over many years police forces across the country have failed to do enough to increase recruitment, retention and promotion of ethnic minority groups for decades. It reported that at the current rate of progress it will take another 20 years for police forces to be properly representative of the communities they serve. It recommended that the government agrees minimum targets for the recruitment of ethnic minority groups with each constabulary reflecting the respective composition of its local population, in order to achieve at least 14% of officers nationally by 2030.16 At the time of our evidence session, the Department had not yet responded to our sister Committee’s report. The Department committed to responding formally to the points in the report.17
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation and states it has implemented it by publishing its response to ‘The Macpherson Report: twenty-two years on’.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5b. PAC recommendation: The Department should also respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee report ‘The McPherson report: twenty-two years on’, particularly the recommendations relating to targets for the recruitment and retention of officers from ethnic minority groups and staff and ensuring that police forces are representative of the communities they serve. 5.6 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 5.7 The government agrees with the recommendation to respond to the Macpherson report and the need for police forces to be representative of the communities they serve. 5.8 The government’s response to ‘The Macpherson Report: twenty-two years on’ was published on 26 May 2022. 5.9 Through the Police Uplift Programme, the government has made significant improvements to workforce data, created an inclusive campaign and worked directly with forces on outreach, engagement and sharing best practice. The previous Policing Minister has written to forces, challenging them to fully exploit the opportunity uplift provides to make improvements to force representation levels. These letters compared progress between forces, demonstrating the ministerial drive to make diversity improvements. The data was also reviewed at the National Policing Board in March 2021. 5.10 Diverse recruitment is not an exercise in meeting a quota – it is about making lasting improvements to diversity and inclusion in policing. For this reason, the government does not agree that the setting of diversity recruitment targets is the right lever to support forces recruitment and retention practices however the oversight of progress across all forces is critical. Population demographics vary by force area and each force should be striving to be representative of the communities it serves. 5.11 Forces are maximising the opportunity to increase their representation, Across the service, 8.1% of officers are from ethnic minority groups. Across new intakes since April 2020, 11.7% of new recruits are from ethnic minority groups. Forces will be able to build on the work of the uplift programme beyond its lifetime to continue to grow their representation.