Bedfordshire Police welcomes PC Mohammad Ali into its People & Workforce Development team as its new positive action officer.
The aim of the role is to work with diverse communities to raise awareness of the careers in policing and share the opportunities in working for the force.
PC Ali said: “I have recently passed my NVQ in policing and took the opportunity to move into the positive action role where I can help new officers and under-represented groups through the student journey, as well as encourage more officers from all backgrounds to join.
“I have just navigated transitioning into a policing role so I have first-hand and up to date knowledge that I can use to help others.
“I want to use my own experiences and highlight the positives of the police officer role to encourage others to start a career in policing. The negatives can often be widely publicised but there is so much more to celebrate.
“On top of knowing you make a difference and it being such a rewarding profession, it is one of the most secure jobs out there at a time of uncertainty for some industries.
“There are so many opportunities to learn, progress and change roles once you’re in which can take you from the dogs unit, to roads policing to being a detective in Major Crime. You can really make a lifelong career out of policing.”
The force strives to be representative of the communities it serves and while significant improvements have been made over the past few years there is still more to do, especially with applicants from a black background.
Chief Constable Garry Forsyth said: “The appointment of PC Ali into this role will enable us to continue to work hard at reflecting our local communities within our workforce which is so important for the confidence of the public.
“I’ve committed the organisation to develop a diverse workforce, the force has been proactive in this regard and it has resulted in us being amongst the top forces in our percentage of BAME police officers.
“In 2015 Bedfordshire Police had the third lowest number of BAME police officers, when compared to the diversity of population we serve. BAME officers accounted for just under six per cent of our workforce.
“We are now one of the most representative forces with regards to BAME officers, who represent 10.1 per cent of our organisation against the national average of 6.9 per cent. However, we must increase the representation of our Black communities and will continue to bridge the gap and be as inclusive and diversely represented as possible”
PC Ali continues: “There is a large population of BAME communities in Bedfordshire and it is vital we reflect that in our workforce. I want to help officers from under-represented backgrounds make the transition to police officer successfully.
“It is so important to understand the cultural and religious differences inside the force and when dealing with members of the public. I want to be there to help and to give back to the BAME officers that helped me through it too.”
“Whilst it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure our force is a place where difference is valued and people can be their whole selves, my role is focused on that all day, every day. My goal in this role is to make sure everyone knows who I am and know that they can come to me if they need any help.
“I also want to create initiatives and work with different communities and teams to make sure under-represented groups are getting the support they need and ultimately increase retention and the number of new officers coming to the force.”
Bedfordshire Police are actively recruiting police officers. If you would like to join and start you career in policing visit www.bedfordshire.police.uk/join-us
Sign up for your daily digest of local Bedfordshire news here:
https://www.bedsbulletin.com/bulletin/sign-up/
