‘Diversity in policing essential to represent Wales’ communities’
People of colour are seriously underrepresented in Welsh police forces according to new data from the ONS. Acting Political editor Will Hayward reports
ALL four Welsh police forces have a lower percentage of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) officers than the communities they serve, new figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed.
The lack of BAME representation in the police has long been an issue, but has been thrown into starker focus following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement after the killing of George Floyd in the USA.
Figures in Wales show that not only is there a serious lack of people of colour within the police, there is also an even larger shortfall in BAME women – three Welsh police forces, Gwent, Dyfed-Powys and North Wales, have just five female BAME officers among them.
The data also shows that the higher you travel up the police career ladder the whiter it becomes. In the whole of Wales there are just seven BAME officers above the level of inspector and just one of those is a woman.
■ What do the figures say?
It is important to bear in mind when looking at figures the communities that forces are covering. The Dyfed-Powys force area has far fewer BAME people as a percentage of the population than South Wales Police and, therefore, this should be taken into account.
In Dyfed-Powys Police, 1.3% of its officers are BAME, compared to 2% of the population.
Of the 12 BAME officers only two are women, both at constable level. There are 10 BAME male officers, of whom only one is above the rank of sergeant.
In Gwent Police, 2.2% of its workforce are BAME compared to 3.9% of its population.
Between March last year and March this year the force had a net loss of one BAME officer.
The force has only one BAME female officer and 27 men.
Only one of these men is above the rank of constable.
North Wales Police has 0.9% BAME officers compared to 2.5% of the population. It has only two BAME female officers.
South Wales Police has 2.6% BAME officers compared to 6.6% of the population. There are 22 female officers, only one of whom is above the rank of sergeant.
Campaigners argue that having a police force that is an accurate cross-section of the community they serve is important not just because it helps build trust and engagement, but also because it helps to fight prejudice in the system itself.
The Lammy Report found that “arrest rates are generally higher for the BAME population in comparison to the white population” in the UK.
There is also evidence of disproportionate deaths of BAME people in restraint-related deaths, as well as evidence to suggest that dangerous restraint techniques and excessive force are disproportionately used on BAME people
Commenting on the figures, Natasha Davies, policy and research lead at Chwarae Teg, said: “Diversity is essential for any workforce. Our individual and collective experiences shape how we see the world and the decisions that we make.
“If there is limited diversity, unconscious bias can often go unchallenged and uncorrected, and for organisations like the police this is even more concerning due to the important role they play within our communities, and their position as a public and emergency service. “The under-representation of women and people of colour in the police is an urgent issue, which requires both immediate action and longer-term efforts to build trust and relationships within communities.”
She added that “we need a public commitment to this long-term change”.
Ms Davies said: “This action should include, but should not be limited to identifying and addressing urgent barriers preventing women of colour from becoming police officers; reviewing recruitment and training practices to ensure they are inclusive; promoting diverse role models and police officers from under-represented backgrounds and listening to their own staff about any cultural attitudes that still exist within the workforce that are preventing diversity.
“We need to see a public commitment to this long-term change, and open and honest discussions about progress and actions to ensure that police forces across the country can better represent the communities they serve.”
Rocio Cifuentes, chief executive of Ethnic Minorities & Youth Support Team Wales (EYST Wales) echoed this sentiment, calling for targeted, positive recruitment.
She said: “We know that police forces across Wales have set themselves a target of working towards a representative workforce, which means having a workforce which reflects the communities they serve.
“Unfortunately, these statistics show us that there is still a long way to go before local police forces in Wales reflect the ethnic diversity of their localities, and particularly so for BAME women, who are sadly still severely under-represented.
“This situation means that the talent which exists within BAME young men and women is potentially going to waste. We need targeted and positive recruitment and retention strategies which address this situation and give us a Welsh police force which is fit for the future.”
A South Wales Police spokesman said: “Making South Wales Police more representative of the communities we serve has been a priority as outlined in police and crime plans dating back to 2015.
“We recognise and value individuals’ unique differences, and we want South Wales Police to continue to develop as an organisation which represents and reflects our communities.
“We have a dedicated BAME Recruitment Team who encourage applications from under-represented groups. The team engage with under-represented communities and provide ‘positive action’ support to encourage applications.”
Greg George, head of diversity at North Wales Police, said the force was “committed to developing an organisation that is representative of the diverse communities that we police and serve.
“We recognise that although the diversity of our staff is improving, we are not fully representative yet and we are striving to address this imbalance.”
Dyfed-Powys Police was approached for comment.