Ex-senior officer to review force's race discrimination

A former senior police officer will lead a review into how Thames Valley Police (TVP) racially discriminated against three white officers.

Kerrin Wilson, the former assistant chief constable of Lincolnshire Police, has been told by Thames Valley’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Barber to establish the “unbiased facts” of what happened.

An employment judge ruled in August that a superintendent was told to help improve diversity amongst the force’s senior staff by appointing a sergeant from an Asian background to the rank of detective inspector.

Mr Barber said it was clear the force’s conduct was “unacceptable” and that he wanted to “establish why things went wrong”.

An employment tribunal heard three members of staff, who had worked for TVP for between 19 and 26 years, were blocked from applying for the detective inspector role in Aylesbury in 2022.

But a decision was made to move an officer into the role without undertaking any competitive process or advertising the vacancy to staff, the tribunal was told.

Judge Robin Postle found that senior officers, including current chief constable Jason Hogg, had “been warned of the risk of operating such a policy”.

Mr Hogg was appointed chief constable in April 2023 and was serving deputy chief constable at the time of the case.

“I want to establish the unbiased facts about the circumstances that led to the employment tribunal, and changes in policy and approach that may be needed as a result.

“This is an emotive issue that has caused concern for many. I am clear that Thames Valley Police got this wrong, as is clear from the tribunal’s judgment, but I want to establish why things went wrong," Mr Barber said.

"The review will look at the facts of the case, the conduct of those involved and the wider policies that are in place.”

Mrs Wilson retired in 2022 after 30 years in policing.

She said that year that the diversity in police forces across the country was “not good enough”.

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