Policing Together Portfolio

In February 2023, following the launch of the Policing Together Strategy, 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 was expanded and the portfolio now benefits from the support of one Inspector, three Sergeants and one Constable.

The 4 pillars which underpin the work of the Policing Together programme are; Leadership, Training, Prevention and Communications. Standing updates on activity falling under the 4 pillars are reported to the PTTG on a quarterly basis ensuring oversight, alignment of activity, collaboration and sustained momentum.

The cross-cutting nature of activity means that no single work stream or business area will fulfil the broad outcomes of the Policing Together Strategy, however, the collective efforts across the 4 pillars will contribute to the outcomes being delivered. Paragraphs 3.4 to 3.7 below offers high level insight into the direction of travel and progress to date.

Leadership: 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 communities, it is underpinned by the Competency and Values Framework (CVF). 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 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. A full evaluation plan is in place for YLM with monthly and quarterly evaluation reports being produced. Insights and measures used to understand the success of the product includes a review of attendance at the programme and willingness to recommend it to others, results of an end of programme evaluation questionnaire, in particular confidence to apply the learning outcomes, and focus groups to discuss line manager leadership behavioural changes 3 months post-programme.

Training: An EDI e-learning module was launched in November 2022. All officers and staff are required to complete the training. As of 30 June 2023, 21,502 officers and staff have accessed the module, which is 95% 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 reset expectations aligned to Police Scotland 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. Post learning evaluation data captures overall satisfactions, application of knowledge, satisfaction with learning outcomes, content and duration as well as developmental responses and recommendations for future development.

Preventions: 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 2022. 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. Feedback indicates engagement/viewing rates for the campaign have been very positive, suggesting wide interest in the topics covered. As the final stages of the current campaign approaches next steps include creating a tactical plan of continued prevention activity for 2024 which aims to consolidate awareness, with a particular focus on recurring or emerging concerns. It is acknowledged that a key element of the campaign is evaluating the impact of prevention activity, particularly relating to increased awareness and understanding of personal responsibility to demonstrate standards, alongside increased confidence to report and address issues. PSD are engaging with the Strategy & Insights team to consider the most effective way to achieve this evaluation.

Communications: Notable work includes delivery of the Policing Together Cultural Calendar which ensures key dates which resonate with communities of Scotland are marked with internal and/or external activity or communications. Over recent months this has included content raising awareness of Eid-ul-Adha, Disability Awareness Day, Mental Health Awareness Week and Pride Month. Events, inputs and communications have been delivered offering opportunities for learning, support and engagement. Planning is underway to mark Black History Month in October. Over the coming months communications plans will be developed with the aim of explaining and embedding the work of the Creating a Positive Workplace Short Life Working Group (SLWG) and the Human Rights Framework SLWG. The second phase of the internal values marketing campaign will also commence. A communication plan continues to be delivered in support of the Chief Constable’s statement on Institutional Discrimination. As of 6 August, the toolkit of information and questions and answers on institutional discrimination had been downloaded over 15,000 times and the institutional discrimination page on the Policing Together intranet area had been accessed on over 20,000 occasions.
Evaluations are routinely carried out on communication plans however this unprecedented engagement demonstrates the thirst for knowledge in this space.

Several key actions within the Policing Together Implementation Plan are being delivered by the ongoing work and activities outlined across the 4 pillars.