The broadcast of the BBC documentary The Secret Policeman in October 2003 filled me with shock and anger. It showed people we trust with the powers and privileges of wearing a uniform, indulging in the most sickening racist behaviour. The appalling conduct of a number of trainee officers prompted fundamental questions about how police training addresses issues of race and discrimination in the police service. It is an explicit example of what can happen if an organisation fails to properly address race and diversity through training and development.

The Secret Policeman was just one of the factors that triggered the Commission for Racial Equality’s formal investigation into the police service in England and Wales. Others included the number of complaints we had received against police forces, from police officers, which at the time of the launch of the investigation had doubled in the past five years. In light of this, our findings came as no surprise.

The final report launched in March 2005 showed that a third of all police forces questioned had no specific diversity training strategy, and similarly, 37 per cent of police authorities didn’t either. Most of those that did exist were short, and set out only basic principles.

The majority of groups and individuals interviewed – many of whom were serving ethnic minority officers – made negative comments about their experiences of the trainers used by the police service. They often appeared to treat diversity in a superficial way – paying lip service to it rather than understanding it and using it to effect positive change across the police force.

Many trainers were indifferent to race equality and did not appear to have the confidence to tackle race equality issues in a classroom setting, while others were uncommitted, and a few hostile. In most cases, trainers were seen as reluctant to challenge racist attitudes.

The challenge now for the police service is to transform itself into an anti-racist organisation – a service in which any racist officer or staff member will feel marginalised and out of place.

Many of the report’s findings – despite relating specifically to the police – offer lessons that all organisations, regardless of sector, can benefit from.

First and foremost, if training in equality and diversity is treated as a tick-box exercise and not taken seriously from the top down, employee attitudes will follow suit with many paying scant regard to the issues. Any training that is delivered should go beyond focusing on facts and figures and ‘politically correct’ language, and instead engage with people’s attitudes to affect culture change.

Likewise, diversity can’t be treated as a bolt-on or a one-off training package. It needs to be integrated into all operational training and considered at all stages of business including recruitment, marketing, research and development. A workforce switched on to diversity will be aware of customers’ or service users’ needs or requirements – and ultimately able to fulfil them. It’s worth bearing in mind that people from ethnic minority backgrounds have a collective spending power of around £24 billion – a profit source not to be sniffed at.

It is also crucial that race equality training is given by skilled management. The calibre and commitment of diversity trainers will have a huge impact on organisational culture. Its delivery remains highly politicised and sensitive, and trainers need to know how to address complaints, how to tackle racist attitudes, and also how to ensure race and diversity is fed into the rest of the organisation’s business strategy. At the same time, training needs to be tailored to the right environment. Our investigation showed that many police forces addressed standard diversity issues, rather than focusing on community and race relations which would have been more engaging and had more relevance to their day-to-day work.

For the public sector – as part of its duty under the Race Relations Act – addressing race and diversity issues through all of its functions is a legal requirement, so effective policies should already be in place. For other sectors, their development shouldn’t be seen as an administrative burden. As far as I am concerned, an organisation that performs well on equality performs well across the board. It’s a question of good management.

The investigation discovered poor management practice generally, and regarding race issues in particular. This contributed to larger numbers of ethnic minority recruits leaving the service, and doing so earlier than their white counterparts. If this is not addressed the ‘revolving door’ will continue to turn, discouraging ethnic minority communities from engaging with the police, which can help to affect the service’s culture.

Workplaces with an ethos of tolerance and showing respect for others are less likely to be on the receiving end of costly discrimination cases and in terms of limiting damage to reputation investing in diversity is priceless.

In an economic climate where we are increasingly reliant on migrant labour, ignoring race and diversity is simply not an option. The NHS, for example, relies heavily on foreign labour and it is estimated that 23 per cent of doctors and 47 per cent of nurses working within the NHS were born outside the UK. To be able to attract the talent and skills of migrants and people from ethnic minority backgrounds, organisations need to show that they are serious about equality. If not, the best candidates are going to shop around for an employer that is. And if candidates do shop around, employers who have not invested in equality and diversity will miss out on a huge pool of skills and talent.

<em>For further information visit www.cre.gov.uk</em>

Trevor Phillips OBE was educated in the Caribbean and England. After leaving university he started his career in TV, rising to become the head of Current Affairs at LWT and a well-known face for both LWT and the BBC. Throughout his adult life he has been involved in campaigning on equality issues. He successfully initiated the Windrush season, which raised the profile of Black History. Trevor has combined his career in the media with voluntary work. He has been Chair of the Runnymede Trust and is currently a trustee of several leading charities working to serve ethnic minority communities. After a successful career in broadcasting, Trevor was elected to the Chair of the London Assembly in May 2000. He took up the post as Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality in March 2003. Trevor can be contacted at the Commission for Racial Equality at www.cre.org.uk

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