Discrimination
Section 6 of the Police Act 1996, as amended by the Police and Justice Act 2006, states that a Police Authority shall promote equality and diversity within the Force and Authority. This follows the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and various other Acts and Regulations covering different aspects of discrimination in service and employment. Our duty is to:-
- eliminate unlawful discrimination
- promote equality of opportunity
- promote good relations between different groups
Human Rights
Statutory Instrument No. 82 states that "Police Authorities shall monitor the performance of the Force in complying with the duties imposed on that Force by the Human Rights Act 1998."
Stop and Search
Police Authorities have a responsibility both to scrutinise police use of stop and search powers and to educate the public regarding stop and search. The Authority's role provides independence to the process, thereby hopefully increasing public trust.
Policy
The Police Authority scutinises the Force by means of regular reports to its Panels detailing Force policies and service provision. These reports are all published on this website. In addition, Cleveland Police Authority has created a Single Equality Scheme which explains the Authority's standpoint that no individual should be treated less favourably on the grounds of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief. The aim is to tackle any institutional discrimination that is present in the provision of policing services and employment practices.
The Chair of the Police Authority, Councillor Dave McLuckie, has stated that "we aim to promote equality of opportunity between people of different racial groups, disabled and non-disabled people, men and women.
"The Police Authority Single Equality Scheme complements the Force Single Equality Scheme and aims to extend the coverage to areas that are not included within the Force Scheme, for instance, Police Authority consultation activities and the Independent Custody Visitor Scheme. The Single equality Scheme includes an Action Plan to ensure that both the Authority and Force are dealing with issues of indirect discrimination. This is a living document that will be changed in light of experience gained.
"I would encourage any employee, stakeholder or service user to contact the Authority if they have any issues with the content or application of this Scheme."