Police commissioner has discussion on BAME issues
Holds meeting with Black Lives Matter campaigners
LEICESTERSHIRE Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach and Chief Constable Simon Cole have met local Black Lives Matter and antiracism campaigners at a virtual meeting to discuss policing issues which impact on trust within the BAME community and understand how these challenges might be overcome in the future.
Both the PCC and Chief Constable were keen to offer support to anti-racism campaigners across the county pledging to work in partnership to stamp out discrimination and social injustice.
As part of this they agreed to share data more regularly to highlight the force’s progress in tackling disproportionality and improving diversity within the force.
They also agreed to host further meetings to sustain the positive relationships that had been built with campaigners and promote a partnership approach to tackling discrimination.
Willy Bach said: “I am fully behind the campaigners and their fight for justice. We’ve come a long way in society - and in policing - but there is so much more to do.
Simon Cole, Chief Constable said: ‘‘We always seek to work with local communities. We are keen to listen to what people have to say.
“We already do lots of work aimed at tackling disproportionality and inequality; we know that there is more to do.
“I am grateful to the PCC and the campaigners for this open discussion, which helps me to further understand the issues and to put things in place to make change happen.”
Latest figures show eight per cent of police officers in Leicestershire are from a BAME background while the figure is 14 per cent for Police and Community Support Officers (PCSOs), 12 per cent for police staff, 13 per cent for Special Constables and 12 per cent for volunteers.
The police says that over the past 12 months 2,232 hate crimes were reported in Leicestershire of which 1,696 were classified as race hate.
A positive outcome was recorded in 18 per cent of cases.
Reports have increased from four or five a day, to nine or 10 a day, and these figures include incidents in which BAME police officers are victims of racial abuse from the public.