Positive Action

Building our workforce,

reflecting our communities

What could you do?

 

Welcome to 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.

When applying to join us, our selection processes are no different. Through the use of Positive Action, we do not seek to remove competition, rather, to allow everyone the same level of opportunity where final selection for a post is always made on the merit of the applicant.

We aim to build our workforce so that it reflects the rich diversity and complexities of our communities by attracting the best talent from the widest pool of people.

We use the term ‘under-represented’ to describe where the diversity of the communities we serve is not accurately reflected in our workforce and are proud to have a policy where we utilise Positive Action to help us achieve this.

This recruitment support is for women (certain roles), people who are Black, Asian or of ethnic heritage and people with disabilities.

Is it the same as Positive Discrimination?

In a word, no. The two are very different and are very often confused.

Positive Discrimination means employing someone just because they come from an under-represented group giving an unfair advantage and is unlawful.

Positive Action is a lawful activity to ensure there is fairness to all that apply where everyone has a ‘level playing field’ from the start.

several officers of different gender and ethnicity

Who does Positive Action apply to?

UK legislation enabled Positive Action initiatives and activities to take place, where an under-represented group is identified around issues of Gender, Disability, Race, Age, Sexual Orientation and Religion or Belief. This is not a legal requirement but there are provisions that have been made available within the Equality Act 2010 for positive action to take place.

So that we can address the imbalance in both Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police we particularly encourage applications from the following identified under-represented groups and communities to join our family.

  • Women (police constable, detective constable and special constable roles)
  • People who are Black, Asian or of ethnic heritage
  • People with disabilities and neurodiversity
Female call handle sat at her desk in front of two screens with a head set on smiling to camera

What do we do?

Our dedicated positive action team are situated throughout both Devon & Cornwall Police and Dorset Police areas and are able to support people in a manner of different ways.

The support we provide takes many forms and is very much tailored to fit individual needs and takes it's form from one to one telephone support, regular interactive support programs and webinars though to face to face contact.

We engage with a large range of community groups and work closely with our Diverse Communities Teams to assist with recruitment events and ensuring that Positive Action is included in everything that our organisations do.

To keep in touch with us, find out more about what we are up to and where we are in our community, visit our twitter page below!

Follow @PolicePosAction

Meet the team in-person events

Join the team at one of these in-person events

Devon & Cornwall Events

Drop-in and speak with us for more information about joining the police and the support we offer.

Please check back here for our next events.

police officer smiling
Rod Almidani image at RNLI

Dorset Events

Drop-in and speak with us for more information about joining the police and the support we offer.

 

Weymouth College Careers Fair | Weymouth

Thursday 7 March | 10:00-16:00

BU Spring/Summer Jobs Fair | Poole

Tuesday 12 March | 11:00-15:00

BIC Careers & Apprenticeship Show | Bournemouth

Thursday 14 March | 09:00-19:00

UK Careers Fair | Bournemouth

Friday 15 March | 10:00-14:00

Are you thinking of applying?

If you are considering applying for a role within Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police and Positive Action is something you think would interest you, please fill in the form below.

If you require any assistance with your registration please email the team below:

Email the Positive Action Team

You may be interested in a Police Officer role, Special Constable role or Police Staff role.

A member of our Positive Action Team will contact you to understand the sort of role you are looking to apply for and discuss what assistance we can provide.

What happens after you fill in the form?

Out Positive Action Team will be in touch with you using the contact details you have provided to establish with you the support you may require.

So that we can identify what support you require, we will carry out an assessment via telephone. This will be a chat with one of our Positive Action Officers to find out more about where you are in relation to a recruitment process or what roles you are interested in. They will want to identify any barriers that may be presenting themselves to you. The Positive Action Officer will be able to provide you with information, opportunities and general support which will be ongoing throughout your recruitment journey.

 

Black History Month

Each year we celebrate Black History Month to recognise contributions made by people from the Black community, including black and ethnic police officers and staff, to every aspect of our lives. To find out more, or to access some of the resources that were published during this period, please select the button below

Black History Month Blog

Frequently Asked Questions

To find out more about the Positive Action scheme and how this could benefit you, please select the button of the Force you are interested in below.

Devon & Cornwall Police FAQs

Dorset Police FAQs

Additional information about Positive Action

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