Further detail

Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Human Rights (EDI & HR) Governance Structures and scrutiny.
Strategic oversight of Police Scotland’s EDI activity continues to be driven by Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Fiona Taylor QPM, who continues to chair the Policing Together Strategic Oversight Board (PT SOB), formally the EDI & HR Strategic Oversight Board.

Following the launch of the Policing Together Strategy, there was a refresh of existing structures to provide a consistent naming convention across the EDI landscape. The creation of a Policing Together Tactical Group was agreed to help streamline the business flowing through to the PT SOB from the four main sub-groups:
Policing Together Community Group
Policing Together Colleague Group
Policing Together Implementation Group
Policing Together Performance and Impact Group

The newly created Policing Together Performance and Impact Group will ensure effective delivery of Police Scotland’s legislative and voluntary performance reporting responsibilities in the area of EDI. In addition the Group will consider the insights and measures available seeking to capture, monitor and measure the impact and outcomes of EDI activity at a national and local level. The group will look to develop data and insights to support EDI performance tracking and reporting.
Police Scotland continue to utilise a 6 monthly EDI Performance Report, which is presented to the PT SOB.

The report is part of a suite of reports based on the performance framework providing detail and focus from an EDI perspective and includes measures of progress linked to the Equality Outcomes. Over the coming months the report will be developed further to fully incorporate reporting on the Policing Together Strategy. In April 2023, the SPA and Police Scotland published their Joint Mainstreaming and Equality Outcomes Progress Report, which is legislatively required every 2 years.
Police Scotland continues to benefit from the scrutiny, insights and support of the Policing Together Independent Review Group (IRG) chaired by Robin Iffla MBE. The group delivered its interim report to the SPA Board in May 2023 detailing initial findings in support of its 3 outcomes; strategic direction, organisational culture and training and development.

The National Independent Strategic Advisory Group (NISAG) has very recently re-aligned under the Policing Together structure. The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the group will be reviewed and refreshed to ensure that Police Scotland continues to benefit from the valuable expertise, experiences and links into our communities that the Group can provide.

Policing Together Strategy
In September 2022, Police Scotland published its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Policing Together Strategy. The Strategy was developed collaboratively with extensive engagement across the organisation; with our workforce, Force Executive, statutory and diversity staff associations, and the PT IRG. A full range of research, development and benchmarking took place to ensure the strategy was aligned with strategic drivers for change and the needs of the workforce.

Four Strategic outcomes were identified, each accompanied by key commitments, which will drive Police Scotland towards realising its vision to be welcoming, inclusive and representative of the communities it serves and to ensure our people demonstrate our values, know they belong and can truly be themselves.
A Strategy Implementation Plan has been developed to guide the delivery of Strategy. A process of mapping and de-confliction is taking place to absorb the EDI Action Plan into the Implementation Plan. This will streamline activity and provide focus, clarity and prioritisation. Oversight of the Strategy is being delivered by the PT Implementation Group, which reports through the PT Tactical Group to the PT SOB. The Implementation Group is chaired by Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) David Duncan and is attended by stakeholders from across the organisation and includes the attendance of statutory and diversity staff associations.

Policing Together Portfolio
Following the launch of the Policing Together Strategy, in February 2023, a new ACC portfolio was created to ensure the organisation continues its momentum and gives sustainable and tangible effect to the commitments within the strategy. ACC David Duncan was appointed as Policing Together lead and Dr Victor Olisa QPM, was appointed as Strategic Inclusion and Equalities Advisor. The EDI Secretariat and Co-ordination Unit has been expanded and the portfolio now benefits from the support of one Inspector, three Sergeants and one Constable.

The four pillars which will underpin the work of the Policing Together programme going forward are;
Leadership - Meaningful and sustainable change will require persistent focus and leadership. We recruit and promote people who share our values and behaviours and give officers and the staff the tools and skills they need to lead culture change. Cultural change is everyone’s responsibility and will be driven by leaders across the organisation.
Training – Seeks to address racism, misogyny and all forms of discrimination within policing in Scotland. We recognise the majority of officers and staff act in accordance with our values and standards every day. We also know that to continue to deliver excellent service in an ever changing world, there is more we can learn about ourselves and others through continuous professional development.
Communication – Corporate Communications have commenced an organisation-wide behaviour change campaign which over time, will positively impact on organisational culture. This is a long term approach with campaign objectives split across three phases.
Prevention - The way we conduct ourselves, both on and off duty, is fundamental to maintaining public confidence and essential to policing by consent. Our Professional Standards Department are delivering a standards of professional behaviour campaign with the key objective being to influence positive cultures across the organisation, preventing harmful behaviours which do not maintain essential professional boundaries or align with Police Scotland standards, values or code of ethics.

Leadership, Training and Continuous Professional Development
Leaders within Police Scotland have a professional, moral and personal duty to drive the change required by setting out expectations for how those under their line management conduct themselves in accordance with the values and ethics of the organisation. As part of Police Scotland’s commitment to developing its people and creating a positive environment a number of key leadership, training and development opportunities have been designed and delivered.
Your Leadership Matters (YLM) is a programme designed to enhance leadership behaviours, providing the skills and tools necessary to build teams which deliver effective policing for all our communities, underpinned by our Competency and Values Framework (CVF) and with high levels of operational competence.
The three leadership behaviours defined as part of the programme are;

Lead and Learn Inclusively
Have the Courage to do the Right Thing
Collaborate for Growth

YLM was rolled out to senior leaders at Superintendent/Police Staff equivalent and above in 2021. Most recently, in April 2023, the programme launched to Chief Inspectors and staff equivalents. In the coming months the programme will roll-out to approximately 5000 Sergeants, Inspectors and Police Staff equivalents with line management responsibilities. YLM is a mandatory programme that represents a significant investment in our leaders and a commitment to improving the existing workplace culture. It will empower leaders to lead inclusively and proactively, creating a more diverse and inclusive working environment, so that every team member can thrive and reach their potential.
The learning products delivered by Learning, Training and Development with an EDI focus have been split into three elements; core, operational and role specific. Each aspect of training displays the depth of support available for colleagues at different stages in their career, ensuring all officers and staff have guidance on how they can role model and lead on the changes required, ultimately delivering the commitments made in the

Policing Together strategy.
An EDI e-learning module was launched in November 2022, and all officers and staff are required to complete the training. To date, 21,102 officers and staff have accessed the module, which is 93% of the organisation. The EDI e-learning module is now part of the mandatory training calendar and will be subject to scheduled maintenance meaning that each year all officers and staff will have the opportunity to refresh their knowledge and re-set expectations aligned to our values and standards of professional behaviour.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Empower Hours provide facilitated sessions, encouraging discussion and self-reflection and giving the space to explore privilege, bias, EDI myths and also techniques and approaches to become positive challengers of all forms of discrimination. CPD empower hours with the core focus of EDI are available on Unconscious Bias and You, Inclusion Starts With I, and How to be an Ally.
The next phase of the CPD / EDI learning programme is face to face or virtual sessions with sergeants, inspectors and staff equivalent roles. This will require planning and engagement with business areas and alignment with other activity such as YLM.

Preventions and Professionalism Programme
A key element of the Policing Together initiative is the Professional Standards Department (PSD) led Preventions & Professionalism programme. This includes a governance structure with tactical and operational leads, driving prevention and awareness activities intended to influence positive cultures, whilst empowering the workforce to appropriately challenge and report harmful behaviours. It also highlights the key role that leaders and bystanders play in robustly and proportionately addressing concerns at the earliest opportunity, and the support available to do this.
Part of this programme includes the Standards of Professional Behaviour Campaign which is a focussed yearlong initiative which launched in November 2023. Supported by Corporate Communications, Corporate Engagement, and Learning, Training & Development, each month has a spotlight on each of the 10 standards, providing relatable context of the behaviours expected of officers alongside examples of actions that fall below these standards. Activity in support of the campaign includes circulation of physical and digital assets, ensuring information is visible to the workforce, a programme of training and awareness inputs and key note speakers at senior and extended leadership forums as well as divisional commander meetings, to reinforce the overall objective of the campaign and the responsibilities placed on line managers to demonstrate these standards and challenge those who do not.

Sex Equality and Tackling Misogyny
A number of steps are being taken to enhance our understanding of the impact of sexism and misogyny on our people. The Sex Equality and Tackling Misogyny Working (SETM) Group continues to be led by DCC Malcolm Graham, the working group is taking an evidence-led approach to tackling sexism and misogyny and providing a workplace that supports women and enhances lived experience in the organisation. The working group has representation from statutory and diversity staff association as well as senior leaders from across the service.
Following a range of initial engagement and evidence gathering the group set out plans to act across the following key areas:
Data and insights
Culture, values and behaviours
Leadership
Engagement and communications
Training, education and awareness
Mechanisms for supporting and reporting
Policy and procedures

Alongside consideration of sex equality and tackling misogyny internally, we have been working closely with a range of key stakeholders and survivors on the Violence against Women and Girls Strategy. Both of these areas of work are fully aligned with the wider Policing Together strategy and programme.

Recruitment and Retention
During the period 1 June 2022 and 31 May 2023, 995 new recruits were appointed to Police Scotland. Over these 4 intakes the male/female split averaged 35% female and 65% male. From disclosures made on candidate application forms 4% of the recruits were Black Minority Ethnic and 4% were White Minority Ethnic.
Police Scotland’s Positive Action Team endeavours to attract and recruit a diverse workforce. The team continues to host online and in person events focused on encouraging applications from under-represented groups. These have included women’s events, LGBTQ+ events and Black Minority Ethnic/White Minority Ethnic events. During October 2022, an event was held aimed at individuals with neuro-diverse conditions. This was promoted by the National Autistic Society for Scotland with guest speakers from across Police Scotland providing lived experiences.

Focus also continues on retention of officers and staff with the development of initiatives including ‘Break the Race Ceiling’. This initially concentrated in Greater Glasgow with the impact having been evaluated and found to be overall positive.
Less than 1% of leavers in 2022/23 identified as ethnic minorities. This is a slight decrease in the proportion who have left in previous years.
The most common reason for all police officers leaving Police Scotland is retirement. It has been found 75% of female officers leaving provided their reason as retirement compared to 84% of male officers leaving.

Changes in the pension regulations has resulted in a significant increase in the number of leavers during the year ending March 2023.
A review of police officer promotions, for the period April 2022 to March 2023, indicates that the proportion of females successfully completing the selection processes was higher than male colleagues.

Human Rights Framework
Police Scotland is a rights based organisation that puts our values of integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding Human Rights at the heart of everything it does. The Code of Ethics for Policing in Scotland sets out the standards expected of all individuals who contribute to policing in Scotland and it explicitly includes human rights. The Police Scotland National Decision Making Model contains the Code of Ethics at the heart of all decisions being made. Although embedded in our Values and Code of Ethics, there is currently no framework in place to guide, support and empower our people in making Human Rights based decisions.

To that end, a Human Rights Short Life Working Group (SLWG) was established in February 2022, to consult, explore and develop a bespoke Human Rights based policing framework for Police Scotland.
In October 2022, Human Rights lawyer and criminal justice policy advisor Jane Gordon was procured to undertake a baseline assessment to understand Police Scotland’s current organisational approach to Human Rights, identify organisational strengths where the organisation are already effectively integrating Human Rights into policing activities, and weaknesses or gaps, where further work requires to be done.
Over the course of a 4 month period from January to April 2023, Jane Gordon conducted her research which consisted of literature review, executive and senior leader interviews, surveys and focus groups with the workforce and engagement with diversity staff associations and external stakeholders. A report has been submitted and is being considered by Police Scotland to identify next steps.

It is anticipated that the baseline assessment will form step 1 of a 4 step process, which includes; Designing and implementing a Human Rights Framework, Building organisational capacity in Human Rights and Maintenance and monitoring progress/compliance.

Conclusion
Police Scotland will continue its commitment to drive EDI forward and will use data, insights and benchmarking as well as research conducted by our Research and Insights department. Police Scotland will continue to welcome the work of the IRG valuing their scrutiny, feedback and support and welcome the work of HMICS as they continue their review into Police Scotland Culture. Key to continued progress and success if ongoing engagement with our workforce and diversity staff associations. Over the course of 2023, Police Scotland are embarking on the second series of Talk Truth to Power sessions to listen to the experiences of our colleagues and understand their perceptions of progress and change.