Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key Leave this site
We use some essential cookies to make our website work. We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your preferences and understand how you use our site.
You can manage your preferences and cookie settings at any time by clicking on “Customise Cookies” below. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our Cookies notice.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Sorry, there was a technical problem. Please try again.
This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.
Here at Humberside, we believe that diversity makes our communities richer; helping things like culture, music, flavours, and beliefs to collide together with glorious technicolour.
It’s therefore important that our public services reflect our diverse communities, and that’s something that Humberside is actively looking to achieve. A police force that is truly reflective of the communities that we serve.
So, how exactly are we achieving this?
PCs Carl and Justin are our dedicated Positive Action team, and we caught up with them to understand exactly what Positive Action is, and what it means for our existing and future employees.
Basically, what’s in it for you? Let’s find out...
Positive Action is all about making our force representative of modern society and creating a level playing field for everyone who wants to join, regardless of who you are. It’s not about making the entry criteria any easier because you have a particular characteristic; but rather making the whole process as fair and equitable as possible.
In 2020, the Government announced Operation Uplift; a plan to increase the number of police officers on our streets by 20,000 by March 2023. This gave us the perfect opportunity to really ramp up our efforts to enhance diversity and representation across our police family.
But our journey had started well before that; we’d already started on our uplift journey before the Government announced its plans, and since 2017, we’ve welcomed more than 800 new officers to our force, making it the biggest it’s ever been.
The communities we serve have changed so much over the years and we need to make sure our workforce reflects that. We work better and stronger when we come from different parts of society and bring our different experiences, culture, and ideas to the table.
We support anyone with a protected characteristic, and more. There are nine protected characteristics, and anyone could have one or more protected characteristics at any point in their lives:
We have also signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant, which helps those from a military background enter civilian employment. The skills that they bring from the armed forces are invaluable, either as an officer or police staff member, and we do all we can to support them in their transition to a new career.
What’s more, we’ve recently been awarded the Disability Confident Leader accreditation. Those with disabilities can come to work knowing they will be supported with any adjustment needed to enable them to do their jobs.
We go into schools, colleges and universities, community groups and places of worship, all to inform people about the different careers available in Humberside Police. Whether that’s as a police officer, detective, PCSOs, staff roles, volunteering, and everything in between.
We spend a lot of time discussing potential barriers people may have in applying for the police and use that insight to shape our application process, but also to help inform the support we provide to prospective candidates.
We also play a key role in helping people understand the various routes into policing, to help them make the right choice for them.
People often ask us why we spend so much time engaging with the community and the truth is, it’s what we’re here for. The police are here to protect our communities, but they can only do that if they a. understand their community’s needs, wants, and demands, and b. that our police force is made up of people that represent those communities.
Our ambition is for our workforce to be truly representative of our communities. There’s still some way to go, but we’re really pleased in our journey to-date and how we’re seeing the efforts pay off. We’ve never had more diversity in our applications that we are seeing today, and that can only be a good thing. The links we’ve forged to-date have been so important in achieving this, and that’s why positive action is so important.
You’ll also regularly see us at careers fairs across the area with our recruitment colleagues too. Together, we give advice and guidance on how to complete application process, provide information on what to expect as part of the journey, and how to succeed in their assessments, regardless of what entry route they choose to take.
We understand that English is not everyone’s first language, so we aim to help people prepare as much as they can, and ultimately make you as ready as you can be to get the job on your own merit. People shouldn’t see not being a native English speaker as a barrier; we’re actively looking for those with diverse linguistic skills. We now interact with so many people from different backgrounds, its vital that we have officers that can interact with them in their mother language.
We also do a lot of work with neurodiverse individuals who make fantastic officers and staff. Some people with autism have great analytical skills, making them ideal for working in intelligence roles, and those with dyslexia can sometimes be creative thinkers, which is incredibly important when problem solving in our local communities.
As positive action officers it’s our job to empower these individuals, let them see their protected characteristics as their superpower, and give them as equal chance of success as anyone else.
It’s not just about attracting talent, but retaining it too, so as the positive action leads, we help with an individual’s full transition into our force.
Joining a new organisation can be daunting for anyone; whether it’s your first job; you’re joining from the private sector; or it’s a brand new, or a change in, career for you; but we know that people coming from diverse backgrounds feel it more.
We work with our learning and development team, our police tutors, and various departments across the whole organisation to make sure all our candidates feel comfortable and supported with the full process.
What’s more, we also offer advice and support to those who may learn of a protected characteristic later on in life. That happens more often than you might think, particularly around neurodiversity. We help people adjust to their new normal and ensure your career continues, seamlessly.
We have an active Staff Forum which supports those from diverse backgrounds. The forum is made up of a diverse group of officers and staff from every level and business area across the force. We also have various committee groups covering each of the nine characteristics, derived of allies and supporters from all different background and experiences.
These include our ethnic minorities and allies network BRIDGE, our Women’s Integrated Network covering the HeForShe movement which fights for absolute gender equality, our Fertility Friends network that supports those going through IVF and pregnancy, the Carers Support group which advocates for better support for those who have additional caring responsibilities outside of work, and many more.
We do our level best to promote equitability (everyone is equal) within Humberside Police, helping to develop an organisation that not only respects the diversity of its people but one that harnesses the power and potential of a truly diverse workforce.
What’s really refreshing is that Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) isn’t a nice to have at Humberside – it’s a must-have, and as a result it is ingrained throughout our organisation. You are absolutely encouraged to be your authentic self at Humberside; it is a fundamental right that we all have, and one which helps us to connect with our communities when working with them.
There are whole host of exciting jobs available at Humberside. You can take a look here.
I’d encourage anyone with an interest in the police to get in touch; if you have any concerns at all, please do speak to us and we’ll see if we can help allay those worries you may have. It’s a big step to apply to join the police, but one that is well worth it.
Also, if you’re someone that likes to give back to the community, why not consider a voluntary role – there are so many to choose from at Humberside Police. We’re also continuously on the look out for new volunteer police officers to join our Special Constabulary.