Supporting a representative force through Positive Action
Positive Action is a range of measures and initiatives that we can lawfully take to actively encourage people from communities that are under-represented to bring their talent, experiences and expertise to our organisation when applying to join us.
To be effective in making Derbyshire safer together, we need to understand our different communities and work with them to protect the public and most vulnerable from modern day risks. Part of understanding different communities means having a diverse workforce, who can share their experiences and help us build trust and confidence with the public to authentically police by consent; even in difficult times.
Our aim is to work with diverse communities to raise awareness of the careers in policing and share the opportunities in working for the force. The force strives to be representative of the communities it serves. 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 through positive action.
Positive Action simply means steps an employer can take which seeks to level the playing field for under-represented groups by providing advice, guidance and support where required, whilst still maintaining the high standards for recruitment and promotion.
When applying to join us, our selection processes are no different. When using Positive Action measures, we do not seek to remove competition, rather, to allow everyone the same level of opportunity stipulating that selection is based purely on the required skills and abilities of the candidate for the role.
There are often many misconceptions around Positive Action and it can sometimes be viewed negatively by those who do not fully understand its purpose. It is essential to understand that every candidate who is successful during a recruitment process has always achieved this on their own merit.
For clarity, Positive Action does not:
- Provide unfair advantage to any groups
- Remove competition for jobs
- Give anybody specific answers
If you would like to find out more about positive action the government guidance can be found here
Further information about Derbyshire approach to Positive Action can be found here.