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Privilege comes under scrutiny

airness and equality came under the
spotlight at the Police Federation’s
Fannual national conference with a
powerful session examining race, policing and
privilege and the impact they have on public
confidence and trust.
The session was led by scholar, activist and
broadcaster Robert Beckford, a professor of
black theology.
Prof Beckford said British society remained
one of the most unequal in the western world
with unchecked privilege leading to financial
and socio-economic consequences across the
country.
He told the conference: “We have got to
address the subject of privilege because we
have got the persistence of structural
inequality.” Professor Robert Beckford (left) and session host Zac Mader, secretary of the Federation’s
Session host Zac Mader, secretary of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and BAME Belief Self-Organised Group.
Federation’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
and BAME Belief Self-Organised Group, asked organisations. In society we find a way to deny ally and support under-represented groups to
how the understanding of privilege could be things exist, but we need to be completely ensure there is a real fairness. The fairness we
improved within policing. honest so we can move forward.” want to see in public institutions and public
Prof Beckford said: “It is about talking He also said officers should try to educate life.”
about it. Part of the problem is it is not talked themselves about the issues around privilege The professor called for ‘really clear and
about. We need to talk and reflect upon it, to and suggested better training and honest powerful pathways’ for career progression
see how we can help in certain circumstances. answers to difficult questions were needed to among under-represented groups to help
“Radical honesty is necessary to address tackle bias and inclusion across policing. improve an imbalance so the police can better
these problems in institutions and He said: “Think about how you can be an reflect the communities they serve.

We need diverse experiences says equality expert

A leading equality expert has identified particularly around miscarriages of justice. norm - it tends to be people who fit the
three key barriers blocking the recruitment “If I was running the force the first thing white male norm from black and brown
of new police officers from black and Asian I would say is sorry. It doesn’t take much to communities at the top of the pile.
communities. appease people in this context and sorry “So you end up with a situation where
Professor Robert Beckford, an academic, goes a long way. there is less diversity and that is part of the
activist and broadcaster, pulled no punches “So firstly there needs to be that kind of problem - difference isn’t the issue, the issue
when the issue was raised during a diversity acknowledgement.” is the norm.
session called The Challenge of Difference at Prof Beckford said the second key factor “We need the diverse experiences of
the Police Federation annual conference. in the recruitment of black and brown black and brown people, women’s
Prof Beckford said the first stumbling officers was the idea that the issue could be experiences, LGBTQ+ experiences - that
block was a perceived lack of integrity within addressed by simply having more black and really does matter.”
the police service. brown people in positions of power. The award-winning academic said the
He told the conference: “There is a lack He said: “It’s more about having different third stumbling block was over-reliance on
of recognition of the negative history of types of people, having a diverse long-term recruitment targets.
policing black and brown communities, representation. The problem is that if you He said: “I think targets help but we have
particularly black deaths in custody, are playing with the norm - the white male got to understand the targets are a
short-term fix because of a long-term
It’s more about having different types of people, problem - I don’t think the targets can be
there forever.
having a diverse representation. The problem “I think the targets can be really
“ is that if you are playing with the norm - the productive if they are used in the correct way
as a short-term fix to build up the numbers,
white male norm - it tends to be people who fit to produce the right kind of diversity, to deal
with the skill-sets that need to be there.”
the white male norm from black and brown Prof Beckford said the challenge now
faced by the police service was to
communities at the top of the pile. simultaneously recruit diverse people while
changing the culture of the institution.

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