More women than men in police force for first time
APOLICE force has more female staff than men for the first time in its 190-year history - but still has nearly twice as many male officers.
Wiltshire Police revealed that there were 1,140 female officers and staff compared with 1,101 male officers and staff members.
But there are still nearly double the number of male officers - 656 compared with 380 women.
There also remained a significant difference between the amount earned by men and women at Wiltshire Police, as revealed in its 2020 Gender Pay Gap report - a snapshot taken on March 31 last year.
The median gender pay gap fell by 1.9 per cent from 10.96 per cent in 2019 to 9.09 per cent in 2020.
The median pay gap is calculated by ranking salaries and comparing those in the middle of the table.
There was little change in the average gender pay gap, which fell only slightly from 9.73 per cent in 2019 to 9.59 per cent in 2020.
The force paid the same salary to men and women at every grade. A pay gap can be created where there are more men or women employed at higher grades.
Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: “We are really beginning to see the results of hard work put in to ensure we are meeting our commitment to an even gender balance in the force and attracting more females to senior roles in the organisation, both as officers and staff.
“The force has recorded more females in officer and staff roles for the first time and we have seen a 10 per cent increase, year-on-year, in females becoming officers. We also have increasing numbers of females applying for promotion and being successful.
“This is really important progress and one I am committed to building upon in the future.”
The report also highlights how the force’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, and its Positive Action Plan, sets out its approach to the attraction, recruitment, retention and progression of under-represented groups.
This work has meant 53% of 105 successful police officer candidates in March 2020 were female, of ethnic minority, ex-military or other protected characteristics.
Angus Macpherson, Wiltshire and Swindon’s Police and Crime Commissioner, also welcomed the report’s findings and reiterated his office’s commitment to further gender parity and attracting more females into senior roles.
He said: “We have been making huge strides over the years to ensure as much gender parity as we can within Wiltshire Police and my own office.”