Sussex Police recognised as ‘trailblazer’ for anti-racism progress
Sussex Police has been awarded silver trailblazer status for its work against racism.
Race Equality Matters awards trailblazer status to organisations that have successfully made an impact in tackling race inequality.
"Sussex Police has been recognised as a ‘trailblazer’ for its progress towards being an anti-racist organisation,” a spokesperson for the police force said.
"After launching our own anti-racism commitment, we recently became the first public sector employer in the South East to sign Unison’s Anti-Racism Charter, the latest step in creating an internal culture that promotes inclusivity.
“Signing the charter is one part of our commitment to the national Police Race Action Plan (PRAP), with our own roadmap to rid the service of racism, discrimination and bias.
“We are proud to share that we have been awarded silver trailblazer Status from Race Equality Matters, as a result of the progress we are making under the PRAP.”
Sussex Police said it is ‘so important’ that the force is able to ‘earn the trust and confidence’ of the ‘diverse communities’ it serves – ‘especially our black communities’.
The spokesperson added: “We are driving forward change to tackle racial disparities to become a police service which is anti-racist.
“Jumping from bronze to silver trailblazer status in the last year, the next 12 months will see us continue to address disproportionality, introduce more initiatives to listen and learn from our local communities and ensure our black and brown colleagues are supported in their professional development.
“With the support of Unison and other key stakeholders, we will continue to regularly review our strategies to promote diversity within our workforce, bringing difference and wider perspectives into the organisation.
“We still have a long way to go, but we are committed to proactively disrupting accepted behaviours to ensure we transform our organisation for the better.”
Two years ago, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) launched the Police Race Action Plan (PRAP), which set out a ‘number of changes’ to ‘improve outcomes for black people’ who work within or interact with policing.
Click here to read more about the Sussex Police Race Action Plan.