The Public Sector Equality Duty (or Equality Duty) came into force in England, Scotland and Wales on 5 April 2011.
This duty replaced the existing race, disability and gender equality duties and covers the following eight protected characteristics:
- Gender Reassignment
- Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy & Maternity
- Religion or Belief
- Sexual Orientation
What is the Equality Duty?
(The following text summarises the EHRC's Introduction to the Equality Duty)
The Public Sector Equality Duty consists of a General Equality Duty, which is set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, and the Specific Duty, which came into law on the 10 September 2011.
The Specific Duty requires public bodies (including Cleveland Police) to publish information (at least once a year) to show how they are complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty, as well as set equality objectives (at least every four years). Click here to view the Cleveland Police Diversity & Equality webpage. The General Duty is applicable to Police & Crime Commissioners in the exercise of their functions (see next section for specific details).
The Act explains that having due regard for 'advancing equality' involves:
- Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics.
- Taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people.
- Encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low.
The Act states that meeting different needs involves taking steps to take account of disabled people's disabilities. It describes fostering good relations as tackling prejudice and promoting understanding between people from different groups. It states that compliance with the duty may involve treating some people more favourably than others.
Public authorities need to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination against someone because of their marriage or civil partnership status. This means that the first arm of the duty applies to this characteristic but that the other arms (advancing equality and fostering good relations) do not apply.
Delivery of the General Duties of the Equality Act
The General Duty which is applicable to all PCC public bodies, in the exercise of their functions, must have due regard to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
The sections below outline how the Commissioner has been able to assist in the delivery of these particular areas.
Equality & Diversity Related Press Releases / News Articles
Since November 2012, the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner has been involved in a number of multi-agency equality initiatives to drive the general duties of the Equality Agenda.
The involvement in these events is highlighted in the press releases shown below:
29/11/12 - Commissioner Backs New Drive To Tackle 'Honour' Violence And Forced Marriages
05/12/12 - Commissioner Meets the 'Experts' at Youth Police and Crime Forum
14/02/13 - Commissioner Praise for Support Group
07/03/13 - PCC lends support to International Women's Day
20/05/13 - PCC attends International Day Against Homophobia event in Middlesbrough
21/05/13 - PCC & Chief Constable learn from an Assistance Dog Attack
24/05/13 - PCC supports Local Alzheimer's Fundraising Event
29/05/13 - Teenagers Urged to Act Quickly To Get National Citizen Service Place
13/06/13 - Police and Crime Commissioner Hosts Event Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls
28/06/13 - Saving Money On Interpreters' Services
31/07/13 - Disability Support Network Warns Drivers of Putting Vulnerable People in Danger
01/08/13 - PCC Shows Support for Cleveland's Street Angel Projects
04/09/13 - Sensory Tunnel helps Cleveland Police to understand visual impairment
16/10/13 - Vulnerable People Protected in Safe Place Scheme
24/10/13 - Evening of Celebration for Cleveland Street Angels
07/11/13 - Commissioner Launches Campaign Against Mate Crime
29/11/13 - Cleveland PCC Concerned about Hidden Harassment of Disabled People in Cleveland
06/02/14 - Commissioner Seeks Views of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Communities
13/02/14 - Warm Welcome for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Middlesbrough
14/02/14 - Commissioner Reaches Out to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Communities
03/03/14 - Agencies Pledge to Improve Response to Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Crime
06/03/14 - PCC Speaks at International Women's Day Event
07/03/14 - Cleveland PCC Urges Same-Sex Abuse Victims to Access New Scheme
07/05/14 - PCC Launches Disability Hate Crime Training DVD in Teesside
14/05/14 - Communities Join Forces To Tackle Homophobia and Transphobia
13/06/14 - Commissioner hopes Ambassadors will Increase Hate Crime Reports
24/06/14 - Safe Travel Expands for Vulnerable People in Hartlepool
30/06/14 - Statement from the PCC regarding the Equality Review Complaint
23/07/14 - Update Regarding IPCC Referred Equality Review Complaint
29/07/14 - Further Statement from Cleveland's PCC and DCC regarding the Equality Review
18/08/14 - Police and Crime Commissioner Joins Stockton Residents to Celebrate Eid
24/09/14 - Celebrating Diversity Across Teesside
09/10/14 - Wanted – A Champion for Communities
10/10/14 - Pledging Support to National Hate Crime Awareness Week
20/02/15 - PCC Raises Awareness of Hate Crime in Hartlepool
15/05/15 - Launch of Cleveland Police LGB&T Network to Give Employees a Voice
22/05/15 - PCC Vows Support to Officers and Staff with Review of Disability Hate Crime
27/05/15 - Commissioner Sponsors Middlesbrough Mela's 25th Year
10/06/15 - PCC and Police Seeking Community Views on Future Engagement
06/07/15 - Crime Commissioner Teams Up with Top Footballing Charity to Tackle Racism
03/08/15 - PCC Funds Equality and Tackling Racism Training for Cleveland's Education Providers
18/09/15 - Police Looking to Improve Links with Local Communities
01/10/15 - Commissioner Shows Support for Safe Places
09/10/15 - North East Criminal Justice System United in Tackling Hate Crime
12/10/15 - Disability Hate Awareness Education Launches in Norton Primary
12/10/15 - Hate Crime Awareness Week - Events To Be Attended By the PCC
13/10/15 - Commissioner Pledges to Tackle Religious Hate Crime
14/10/15 - Force Signs up to Rainbow Laces Campaign to Tackle Homophobia
15/10/15 - Over 2000 School Pupils Take Part in Anti Racism Workshops
15/10/15 - National Hate Crime Awareness Week - Abbie's Trans Story
16/10/15 - Commissioner Discusses Transphobia with Local Communities
17/11/15 - Teachers Trained in Tackling Racism
04/12/15 - North East PCCs Mark Second Anniversary of VAWG Strategy
09/12/15 - Commissioner Opens Community Cohesion Training for Teachers
16/12/15 - Commissioner's Pledge on Police Complaints and Professional Standards
16/05/16 - Commissioner Shows Commitment to Tackling Hate Crime
Equality Initiatives involving the Commissioner
The PCC has a dedicated webpage which provides information about reporting hate crime to the police or to one of the many Third Party Reporting Centres in the Cleveland Area.
Safe Place Schemes are places in the community where people who need extra support can go if they need some help. This ‘help’ can range from a phone call to home to ask a relative to pick them up or help with directions. Safe Place Schemes can be any community venue, ranging from a library to a local business. The Safe Place Scheme is being championed by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland and is also supported by a variety of partnership agencies including Health and Social Care, Cleveland Fire Brigade and Community Safety Partnerships. An updated list of registered Safe Place organisations is listed on the Safe Place webpage.
Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy
On 11 December 2013, the three Police & Crime Commissioners in the North East (Cleveland's Barry Coppinger, Northumbria's Vera Baird and Durham's Ron Hogg) launched the Violence Against Woman and Girls Strategy, which has the backing of Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, and follows months of consultation with a range of partners including the North East Women's Network. More information...
Disability Hate Crime Training DVD
In May 2014, the Commissioner was responsible for commissioning the making of a DVD to assist with the reporting of disability hate crime. The DVD, which highlights the harrowing experiences of some people with learning disabilities who have been victims of disability hate crime, was launched by Barry Coppinger at a special screening on 7 May 2014.
Equality Monitoring of Cleveland Police
The Office of the PCC monitors the delivery of the Force's Equality and Diversity Objectives, through direct involvement in the bi-monthly Staff Equality Group, which is attended by the Chief Constable and appointed representatives of protected characteristic groups within Cleveland Police.
Employment Monitoring and Diversity Statistics Reports, which are published monthly on the Cleveland Police, are also assessed and queried on a regular basis. Information contained within each report includes:
- Public Confidence levels (by ethnicity, gender and age)
- Hate Incidents / Racial or Religiously Aggravated Incidents (number of incidents and by Local Policing Area)
- Arrest Information (by ethnicity, gender and age)
- Stop & Search Statistics (by ethnicity, gender and age)
- Complaints (by ethnicity, gender and age)
- Equality Breakdown of Force Establishment
- Recruitment, Performance Review and Training data
The Commissioner addresses any impending equality issues (internal or external) directly with the Chief Constable via his weekly meetings with the Chief Constable (see Force Accountability page).
The PCC chairs the Cleveland Strategic Independent Advisory Group (IAG), which is made up of representatives from minority communities and act as advocate between the police and the communities it serves. The IAG provides advice about the possible impact of policing policies on diverse communities. Its involvement with difficult and critical incidents can prove invaluable to in helping the police address the specific cultural needs of the affected community.
Office of the PCC Equality Information
Equality charactersitics of staff working for the PCC are listed on the Office of the PCC page.