HUNDREDS of black, Asian and minority ethnic police officers and colleagues came together in Essex this week (October 15-17) for the annual NBPA Conference. The event is designed to ensure that police officers are doing all they can to use their powers appropriately, to attract and encourage people from all walks of life to careers in policing and to bring communities together to prevent and fight crime.
Quoting Martin Luther King, the NBPA President Andy George who is a serving officer at PSNI told the Essex Chief Constable and hundreds of others of all ranks across policing nationwide: ‘It’s you, the people in this audience, that give me the energy and strength to carry on.’
Public trust in the police in Essex bucks the national trend. Over three quarters (77%) of people in the county say they believe the force does an ‘excellent or good job’ according to polling by the country’s Police Fire & Crime Commissioner’s office. That figure is slightly higher for people who are black or Asian than it is for people who are white.
Speaking at the conference, Chief Constable BJ Harrington QPM who has led the force since 2018 said: ‘In Essex, we don’t just talk about policing with the consent of every community; we get on with the job and do it. That’s why we have been showing local community groups our bodyworn video clips for over 2 years so we can improve the way we go about catching criminals and helping everyone feel safe. And that’s why more than 50 people apply to become an Essex Police officer every week, with around 1 in 6 applications coming from black or Asian or mixed race backgrounds.’
He said: ‘If you’ve always wondered what it’s like to catch a criminal or to help someone when they don’t know who to turn to for safety, get in touch. We value the things that make people different because it’s the best way to police effectively in every city, town or village and it makes us a stronger force.’
