Police forces rank highly in equality index

Two forces which serve West Berkshire and north Hampshire are rated as 'gay-friendly' employers

THAMES Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary have both featured high up on the list of the top 100 employers in Britain for lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

For the fourth time in a row, Hampshire Constabulary has been named as the UK's most ‘gay-friendly' police force, coming in fourth in this year's Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, while Thames Valley Police has been ranked 35th in the list – 15 places higher than its ranking last year.

Hampshire Constabulary Chief Constable, Alex Marshall, who is the force's lead on Fairness and Equality, said: “Not only is it a great honour, it's also testament to our year-on-year commitment to providing an excellent service to every one of the diverse communities we serve.

“Naturally, having come second nationally in previous years, we would have liked to made the top spot this time round, but to remain in the top five, and to do so consistently, is a huge achievement.”

Assistant chief constable of Thames Valley Police, Steve Rowell, was similarly pleased with Thames Valley's improved position.

He said: “Being placed 35th in this year's Stonewall Top 100 Employers index is a fantastic achievement for Thames Valley Police, and says much about the positive culture that exists within the organisation.

“The award is based on the views of employees, and is therefore a valuable barometer of our approach to diversity in the workplace.”

A record number of organisations entered the index this year, up from 352 in 2010 to 378, while the threshold score to get into the top 100 increased from 66 to 73 per cent.

The index is run by the charitable organisation Stonewall, which campaigns and lobbies for equality for gay, lesbian and bisexual people and assesses employers across all sectors via a questionnaire.