Statement issued on behalf of Chief Constable Catherine Roper:

“I welcome the national update today on the progress of the Police Race Action Plan. 

“Although, in so many ways, policing is more inclusive, more diverse and more reflective of our communities than it has ever been, I absolutely recognise that policing still contains racism, discrimination and bias. 

“This is not acceptable. I am determined to take ownership of building trust and confidence with members of the Black community and those from all diverse backgrounds, including those in our workforce so that, in time, we are seen as the institutionally anti-racist organisation we aspire to be.

“There has rightly been significant focus as to whether policing is institutionally racist. I am not ignoring this, however working with my Staff Support Associations – specifically the Wiltshire Ethnic Police Association – I have explained that I think it more helpful to look at what our aspiration is as a service and that is to be truly anti-racist. We have made some steps forward but there is more to do still.

“Being anti-racist is about more than simply not being racist. It is a commitment to proactively tackling racism, disproportionality and bias wherever it might exist. That means removing barriers that stop members from the Black community and all diverse backgrounds from wanting to start a career with Wiltshire Police. It means being upstanders and calling out racist or discriminatory practices so as to create a more inclusive culture. It means looking at our policing policies and practices to make sure that we use our powers (for example stopping and searching people) in a way that is consistently proportionate and unbiased. We want Black people to be more involved and represented in policing and feel that they aren’t under-protected and over-policed.

“Alongside the national work to in the delivery of the Race Action Plan, we continue to work tirelessly to improve our local position here in Wiltshire. Our focus remains on creating a more inclusive and representative workforce, calling out racist behaviour as part of a zero-tolerance approach, and critically reviewing our practices to ensure that we apply our powers proportionately, remove bias and discrimination wherever we can and start to build greater trust and confidence with our Black communities.”