The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has agreed to transfer responsibility for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy to Cleveland Police.
Transfer will take place as soon as practicable and include employment of the EDI team.
However, the PCC will still have responsibility for the ongoing scrutiny and accountability of EDI.
The Strategic Direction
In 2015, the former PCC published a strategic direction to Cleveland Police (decision record 100/2015.)
It required the former Chief Constable to deliver a programme of organisational development which:
- Strengthened and embedded appropriate behaviours across the organisation;
- Demonstrated the value of difference;
- Prevented individuals feeling isolated or unsupported within the organisation;
- By doing so, improved the delivery of policing services to the communities of Cleveland; and
- Resulted in all serving and aspiring police officers, police staff and volunteers feeling valued and embedded with good community and industrial relations.
This gave rise to the initial development of Cleveland Police’s Everyone Matters — EDI programme.
Further Publication
In June 2019, the former PCC and Chief Constable published a further strategic direction, It set out a joint commitment between the former PCC and Chief Constable Richard Lewis.
This was in relation to joint oversight and delivery of a refreshed Everyone Matters Programme (decision record 2019-156877)
A report to the Everyone Matters — EDI Board on 20 June 2019 followed for consideration of:
- A structure for forward development and delivery of the Everyone Matters EDI programme on a joint basis between Cleveland Police and the OPCC
- A separate but complementary strategy for the pro-active promotion of a Code of Ethics, to run alongside the delivery of the core focus of the Everyone Matters EDI Strategy.
This was subsequently agreed with the development of a joint delivery team. This included a proposal for a number of new roles as follows:
- Everyone Matters EDI Programme Manager (which subsequently became x2)
- Everyone Matters Support Officers, with remits for:
Project coordination
- Staff Network Support & Development
- Equality Law & Best Practice
It was agreed that the OPCC would employ these role under its corporate budget. This was part of a joint corporate programme team but with an explicit joint remit to deliver both with and for Cleveland Police.
The original premise was for a team with a joint remit (supporting Cleveland Police and OPCC.)
That remit still stands. It means there is a programme that strengthens and builds on the ongoing work required in relation to the EDI agenda.
As the team is now well-established, it is appropriate to now embed the programme within Cleveland Police’s `business as usual’ brief.
The People and Development function within Cleveland Police is now managed and
overseen by a CIPD professionally qualified Director.
As a result, it is felt that the EDI team’s day-to-day activities, including the identification of priorities, can now be managed effectively by Cleveland Police.
PCCs have to hold their Chief Constable to account for the exercise of equality and diversity duties. That comes as part of The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.
This has been a challenge within the current structure in terms of effectively fulfilling
this duty as team members are direct employees of the PCC.
Transfer to the employment of Cleveland Police will allow for greater end-to-end scrutiny, enabling the PCC to fulfil his statutory duties.