21 November 2006

PUBLIC INVITED TO JOIN NEW POLICE DIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT FORUM

The Police Authority is hoping to widen the opportunity for people to help shape policing services in the county by setting up a new Diversity Engagement Forum.

Chair of Hertfordshire Police Authority, Ian Laidlaw-Dickson, said: “We are looking for people with a keen interest in community safety and, in particular, policing issues, who want to take an active part in shaping the Authority’s key policy decisions.

“The new forum aims to provide an opportunity for representatives from all our diverse communities to have a say in the way policing services are provided in the county.”

The Police Authority is an independent watchdog and has a range of roles and responsibilities, including setting the annual Policing Plan priorities and budget, monitoring and challenging police performance and consulting local communities about their policing needs.

Chair of the Authority’s Diversity Working Group, Yasmin Batliwala JP, said: “By setting up our new Diversity Engagement Forum, we aim to improve our consultation with a wider range of communities that better reflect the make-up of Hertfordshire. We hope to set up the Forum early in the New Year and would like to hear from anyone interested in becoming a member."

The Forum’s membership will aim to take account of the county’s mix of race, age, gender, disability, sexuality and religion and include:

	Representatives from a wide range of minority ethnic communities, including non-visible ethnic communities, as appropriate.
	Representatives from a wide range of faith communities including Muslim, Sikh, Chinese, Buddhism, Hindu, Jewish and Roman Catholic.
	Representatives from people with a range of disabilities, such as deafness, visual impairment and mobility problems.
	Representatives from the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Transsexual communities.
	Representatives from travellers and asylum seekers.
	Representatives covering a broad range of ages.

The Diversity Engagement Forum will meet three times a year and members will receive travelling expenses and be offered some recompense for their time, probably in the form of vouchers.

Further information and an application for are available on the Authority’s website: www.herts-police-authority.org.uk – and from the Authority office: Hertfordshire Police Authority, Leahoe House, Pegs Lane, Hertford, SG13 8DE Tel: 01992 556600 email: enquiries.hpa@herts.pnn.police.uk. Closing date for applications is 11 December 2006.

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