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Community Engagement. PC Zoë George Bradford District Community Relations Coordinator. West Yorkshire Police Community Engagement Policy. Current Policy and strategy is being refreshed
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Community Engagement PC Zoë George Bradford District Community Relations Coordinator
West Yorkshire Police Community Engagement Policy • Current Policy and strategy is being refreshed • Capture themes of engagement identified by McPherson, Ouseley and Dara Singh (Chair Commission on Integration and Cohesion) • Speak to the 6 Diversity strands • A toolkit for enhancing neighbourhood/Ward profiles
Local Context - Bradford • Post 1995 street disturbances – community criticised Police for lack of engagement • 1997 Inception of Minorities Police Liaison Committee • 2000 LSP commission Ouseley to examine the ‘divide’ across cultures, faith, socio-economic • 2000 MPLC ‘Connecting Communities’ fund • 2001 Bradford Riots – Ouseley’s report released • 2002 Community Cohesion Task Group established to examine cohesion, engagement and participation • Delivery Plan in place March 2003
Significant Priorities for Police • Hate Crime • Conflict Prevention Strategy • Minority groups/Communities of Interest • Recruitment of BME to WY Police • Reduce Community Tensions
Priority → Hate Crime • Bradford Hate Crime Alliance and Third Party Reporting centres • Dedicated Hate Crime co-ordinators • Repeat Victimisation intervention • Hate Crime Scrutiny Panels – Race and Homophobic • Stop and Search
Priority → Minority groups/ COI’s Appoint dedicated officer – Community Relations Co-ordinator • NRF Communities of Interest - over 30 separate COI’s on Community Safety issues • Lead on the Women’s General Action Plan for the District • Development and author of a local Protocol between Police and the Local Authority on Unauthorised Traveller Encampments and use of S61 CJPOA • Increased women membership on the MPLC • Supporting partners - Diversity Exchange, Bradford Community Accord, co-ordinating Police input to community projects.
Community Relations Coordinator • Community Safety input to the ‘Welcome to Bradford’ booklet for European Migrants to the District • Co-ordinated an MPLC project exploring views of young people on ‘Gang Culture and Gun Crime’ • Work with WYP Diversity Training and Muslim Women from the communities to tailor specific training for Bradford North NPT officers • Work with the WYPA and the Diversity Unit to identify and facilitate dialogue with COI groups and women’s groups across the district.
Priority → Recruitment from BME Communities • Uniformed Careers Consortium All uniformed services working together • Connecting Communities Fund MPLC Radio programmes and active BME recruitment events • Dedicated officer at Force level Police Inspector with port folio for BME recruitment
Priority → Reduce Community Tensions • National Intelligence Model • Collation of Community Intelligence • Community Impact Assessments • Police/Council Tension Monitoring meetings • District Community Intervention Cell - Policy, Protocols and Best Practice considerations for engagement during critical incidents • Localised Diversity Training with Community Contributors • Weekly Bradford District Tension Indicator Report (BDTIR) to National Community Tension Team in London
Successes Community Intervention and Engagement Strategies are transferable • Race relations • Criminal Investigations • Major incidents, large scale evacuations • Counter Terrorism related activity
Lessons • Effective marketing of Policing success stories • Too much credence to self appointed community ‘leaders’ • Engage elected members throughout critical incidents • Know the ‘gatekeepers’ to communities
Future Considerations • More flexibility needed around mechanisms for consultation and dialogue • Need for sustainable consultation and engagement activity with some COI’s on specific issues • Transparency around specific Policy Procedure and Practice i.e. Terrorism Act