Police Equality and Diversity training
Oatmeal Training have developed a unique diversity programme that addresses the complex needs of Equality and Diversity in Police forces andaims to create ambassadors for Police forces through better understanding of diversity issues, and links with community support groups. This programme is aimed at new recruits, and seamlessly integrates into existingtraining programmes.
Particular reference has been given tothe recommendations made in the ‘Diversity Matters’ document, outlining the need to maintain standards of recruitment, training and assessment of diversity and race trainers, and the use of community based groups in the participation in the design, and evaluation of such programmes.
By linking training with community involvement, student officers can establish strong community links that will benefit both parties throughout their working careers, whilst creating a culture of change throughout your Police force.
Delivery platform
There are three elements to our Police Diversity Programme:
1. Taught programme
The key requirement for success is to ensure that the diversity element is seamlessly integrated, moving towards experiential or behavioural learning and not merely cognitive. The following have been highlighted as areas where diversity can easily, be integrated:
a) stop and search
b) theft
c) damage
d) public disorder
e) custody
f) assaults
g) traffic practicals
h) road traffic collisions
2. Community secondment
The secondment has three objectives, firstly to educate the student officers on the role and value of these organisations, secondly to build better links between the police and community and thirdly the use and management of individual community contributors. Key considerations here are:
1.Involving the communities in identifying the learning requirement, the design and evaluation of the secondment.
2.Selection, ensuring that recruits and community organisations are suitably paired and recruits are taken out of their comfort zones without perceived prejudice to their careers.
3.Setting expectations of both parties and managing the secondment
4.Ensuring that the recruits have the necessary background and communication skills prior to starting the secondment.
3. Individual contributors
To identify and arrange contributors to attend events at the forces request without sanitizing the content or style of the contributor ie. Keep it raw.
Also through our involvement in the Potentia programme we can we are able to offer a full level of service from grass roots to policy advice to cover the following areas:
•Race
•Disability
•Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, transexual and transgender
•Welsh language
•Age
This programme has been developed for new recruits, existing staff can also be catered for with our generic valuing Diversity training courses.
