Women in top policing jobs (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Women in top policing jobs

More women have top jobs in Wiltshire police including chief constable Dame Elizabeth Neville than any other UK force.

But Home Office statistics also show ethnic minorities are thin on the ground and missing out on senior ranks.

According to the government, 50 per cent of Association of Chief Police Officer ranked officers in Wiltshire are women. No other force comes close to matching this proportion of female members. The national average is just eight per cent.

Women also provide a vital element of beat officer strength, with a quarter of PCs being female. One in 10 sergeants are women.

The figures make Wiltshire the most representative force in the country in terms of gender mix, reflecting the man-woman balance in the real world. But ethnic minorities were not represented in any of the three most senior ranks in March last year, when the survey took place.

Since then, the Wiltshire force has promoted one ethnic minority officer to the rank of Chief Superintendent.

In the lower ranks, just one per cent of sergeants and one per cent of PCs are members of ethnic minorities among the lowest proportion in the country.

In the division serving Swindon there are eight minority staff.

Chief Supt Stuart Richardson, head of human resources for Wiltshire Constabulary, said: "Wiltshire Constabulary is committed to creating a police service that is representative of the communities we serve.

"We are therefore pleased to see female staffing levels better reflecting the population.

"We are also encouraged that our continuing efforts see Wiltshire Constabulary generally exceeding the Home Office targets for black and ethnic minority staff.

"While our aim is to reflect the population we serve, we do not restrict black and ethnic minority staff to serving in certain areas as this could tokenise their role and inhibit their own development and career aspirations. We continue to seek those individuals with the commitment and skills to provide the best possible service to Wiltshire."