FOI 0847-2024/25 BAME Workforce
Request
Q1. Does your force have an active Black Police Association or similar for Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) members of your workforce?
Q2. What is it called?
Q3. How many officers, support staff and PCSOs do you have?
Q4. How many of those are BAME workforce (officers, support staff and PCSOs)?
Q5. How many current Attendance Management cases do you have? (Force compared to BAME)?
Q6. How many current Complaints do you have? (Force compared to BAME)?
Q7. How many current Disciplinary cases do you have where regulation 21 notices have been served to attend a misconduct meeting/hearing? (Force compared to BAME)?
Q8. How many current Employment Tribunals do you have, regardless of type of complaint? (Force compared to BAME)?
Q9. How many current Grievances do you have, regardless of type of complaint? (Force compared to BAME)?
Q10. How many current Incapability/capability cases do you have? (Force compared to BAME)?
Q11. How many current Regulation procedures (Misconduct and Gross Misconduct) do you have? (Force compared to BAME)?
Q12. How many current Unsatisfactory Performance Procedures Tribunals do you have, or equivalent? (Force compared to BAME)?
Q13. What plans does your force have to improve and support the voice, position and confidence of women of colour in policing?
Q14. What grade, pay scale or band is your most senior BAME police staff? What is their gender?
Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police.
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the following information to you.
Q1. North Yorkshire Police no longer have a Black Police Association that is singularly for Black Police Officers or EM Police Officers (known as NYPBPA). We now have an all encompassing network for officers focused on Culture and Ethnicity.
Q2. North Yorkshire Police Association of Culture and Ethnicity (NYP ACE).
Q3. This information is published on the gov.uk website within their Police Workforce, England and Wales: 31st March 2020: data tables second edition. Data relating to financial years 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 is already published, with data relating to 2024-25 being incomplete and expected to be published at a later date.
Q4. This information is published within the Police Workforce, England and Wales, 31st March 2020: ethnicity open data tables. Data relating to financial years 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 is already published, with data relating to 2024-25 being incomplete and expected to be published at a later date.
As such, information relating to Q3 and Q4 is exempt from disclosure pursuant to Sections 21 and 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) on the basis that it is available to the applicant by other means and intended for future publication. Please see the below exemption explanation.
Q5. Force – 5, BAME – 0
Q6. Of 110 current complaints, 6 are from BAME individuals.
Q7. Force – 13, BAME – 0.
Q8. 4 current issued employment tribunals. Ethnicity data is exempt pursuant to Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). This is due to the potential for identification of individuals. Please see the below exemption explanation.
Q9. Force - 8, BAME – 0.
Q10. Force – 11, BAME – 0.
Q11. North Yorkshire Police has 2 current Regulation procedures (Misconduct and Gross Misconduct) which are all encompassing (Force and BAME).
Q12. 1 current Unsatisfactory Performance Procedures Tribunal. Ethnicity data is exempt pursuant to Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). This is due to the potential for identification of individuals. Please see the below exemption explanation.
Q13. We have recently piloted a Launchpad programme, which is a significant initiative designed to empower female officers and staff of ethnic backgrounds, by enhancing their voice, position and confidence within policing. This programme was developed to address personal, professional and career development needs, equipping participants with the skills and self-belief necessary to realise and unlock their full potential.
The Launchpad programme comprised of four full-day sessions delivered between September 2024 and January 2025. These sessions focused on key areas including:
- Fixed and Growth Mindsets
- Personal Brand Development
- Stakeholder Management
- Overcoming Adversity
- Goal Setting
- Imposter Syndrome
- Communicating with Impact
- Emotional Intelligence
- Networking
Workshops were structured to be highly engaging and personalised, encouraging guided discussions based on attendees’ own experiences. This approach ensured that the content was relatable and delivered in a context that resonated deeply with participants, thereby maximising its impact.
While we await a full review of the programme’s outcomes, initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Participants have shared that the Launchpad programme has had a profound impact on their mindsets, self-confidence and their readiness to take charge of their personal and professional growth.
This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a supportive and inclusive environment in policing, where the voices of female officers and staff of ethnic backgrounds are not only heard but actively empowered to thrive.
Q14. The highest grade BAME member of staff is at grade LS1 and is female.
Exemption Explanation
Section 17 of the Act requires North Yorkshire Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
Section 21 – Information Reasonably Accessible by Other Means
Section 21 is an absolute class based exemption and I am not required to consider the harm or public interest when applying this exemption.
Section 22 – Information Intended for Future Publication
Section 22 is a qualified exemption and as such is subject to a public interest test. This means that North Yorkshire Police have identified the exemption and have considered whether the public interest in not disclosing the information outweighed the public interest test in disclosing the information.
Although there is a public interest in knowing the details of FOI requests as this leads to greater transparency, Section 22 allows for circumstances when it is reasonable and correct for public authorities to delay the provision of information until it is made generally available through publication.
Section 40(2) – Personal Information
Where an individual can be identified by such data, releasing it would clearly breach the first data protection principle of being ‘fair’ to the data subject.
Section 40(2) is an absolute class based exemption, which does not require a public interest test, but requires the balancing of the legitimate interests of the public against the interests of the individual under the first Data Protection Principle; in that processing of personal data must be lawful and fair (DPA 2018 35(1), EUGDPR Article 5(1)).
This exemption applies because the right given under the FOI Act to request official information held by public authorities does not apply to the personal data of third parties where disclosure of that information would not be fair to the individual, and where there is no legitimate public interest in disclosure.
In all the circumstances of the case it has been determined that the duty to the individual under the Data Protection Act 2018 & EU General Data Protection Regulations, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption from disclosure of personal information held by the force in such instances, outweighs the public interest in disclosure. In this instance, personal information can only be disclosed to the individual concerned.
Releasing personal details to a person other than the data subject would not only breach the data subject’s Data Protection rights it may also breach the obligations placed on an authority under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Pursuant to Section 17 of the Act this letter acts as a Refusal Notice in response to your request.
Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data. It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.