Policing Together in Practice update during Race Equality Week

During Race Equality Week Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton has illustrated how Police Scotland is working towards building an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory, policing Service.

ACC Paton provided an update on the progress made so far and how the organisation is continuing to drive the sustainable and meaningful change required to ensure that its mission to keep people safe applies to all communities.

The Policing Together programme was first established in 2021 to give the Service the focus needed to address issues in relation to racism, sexism, misogyny and other aspects of discrimination and harmful behaviour.

Much has been delivered across the four areas of leadership, training, prevention and communications.

Leadership: more than 5,500 police leaders are undertaking an improved leadership programme to help them build inclusive effective teams that deliver for all communities. Senior Leaders have heard different voices in truth to power sessions; community events and through academic studies and are acting on what they’ve been told.

Prevention: there has been a deep dive on each of the 10 standards of behaviour demanded of officers by law and information about gross misconduct outcomes has been shared.

Training: 99 per cent of officers and staff have taken new training on the Equality Act and we’re building on that education with further courses.

Communication: the different experiences and backgrounds of people are recognised during key dates, with practical guidance for officers and staff to help them connect with communities. There has also been clear and consistent messaging delivered that there is no place in Police Scotland for anyone who rejects its values.

Following her appointment as Assistant Chief Constable for Policing Together, ACC Paton refreshed her vision for the programme, with a new focus on putting Policing Together into practice.

The vision refresh also involved a refresh of the four Policing Together pillars, maintaining leadership and communications, combining preventions and training to create a learning pillar, and creating a new communities pillar.

As part of the work ongoing with the new learning and communities pillars, officers and staff are being provided with enhanced learning opportunities to give them the knowledge and understanding to deliver a policing Service which is inclusive and meets the needs of all our communities.

Act Don’t React is a face-to-face training programme which is based on behavioural science. Officers and staff can encounter people in many forms of distress and this training helps them to understand why someone may be acting in a certain way and how they can regulate behaviour, relate to the individual and reason with them to de-escalate and positively influence the situation.

Unity Through Learning is a one-day in-person anti-racist training programme to provide officers and staff with an enhanced awareness of the issues affecting racialised communities. This will ensure they have the understanding to deliver a policing service for everyone, as well as the confidence to challenge harmful and inappropriate behaviour.

To better connect and understand racialised communities, the Service has also refreshed its Community Advisor cadre which now includes Black and African advisors for the first time. This is an important step towards breaking down barriers and building trust and confidence in policing.

Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton said:

“Because of our officers, staff and volunteers, Police Scotland is known to be compassionate, values based, and highly competent.

“We’ve also heard some really tough messages from our communities, including our own officers and staff, in reviews and inspections and through legal and conduct cases.

“These messages have been difficult to listen to, but they have also given us the focus and determination to become a better and more inclusive organisation.

“We must improve to ensure that all communities feel able to speak to the police, to report a crime or to share information. We want people from all backgrounds to see policing as a potential career in which they can thrive, flourish and know they are valued for themselves.

“We are starting to make real progress, but culture change takes time and being an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory, policing Service cannot be that in word alone. Success will be measured by the improved experiences of our officers and staff, and all of the communities, all our fellow citizens, that we serve.

“All aspects of our policing purpose will become more effective because we will have secured the trust of each other and those we serve, and we will be recognised as an organisation which delivers safer communities, less crime, supported victims and a thriving workforce.”