Issue 4 March 2012
Tay Equality Tay Equality
Making a Difference in Partnership
EQUAL ACCESS = EQUAL OUTCOMES! Nasreen Mohammed Some recent achievements we are happy to share. Thank you for your help in making a difference. British Sign Language (BSL) Videos on Force Website Tayside’s BSL users can now access some of our important information in their own language. This includes How to Contact Tayside Police in emergency and non-emergency situations. The signed video clips, recently added to the force website also explain what kind of situations would be considered an ‘emergency’. The clips were extracted from our BSL DVD launched in June 2011 and can be accessed from our Home Page by going to "Contact Us" where there is a "British Sign Language" option in the left-hand menu. This will connect you to a page that contains the three videos. If you or someone you know use BSL, please do make time to access our information in this alternative format and tell us how helpful you found it to be. Found in Translation! Tayside Police web information can now be translated into numerous community languages at the touch of a button. We have added a Translate option on every page to enable quick translation into the reader’s choice of language using one of the existing translation tools. Whilst it may not be the perfect solution, and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the translated information, we see this as a cost effective way of offering an option to access our web information in alternative languages. If you know of someone who might benefit from this option, please do make them aware. Force Website - Accessible Features The Force website underwent significant improvements in 2011. It now includes options at the top right hand corner of every page to enable readers to control text size, and to select a background or text colour to suit individual need or preference – particularly useful for people with visual impairment or dyslexia. Interpreters at First Contact for Non-English Speaking Callers Non-English speaking callers to the Force Communication Centre (FCC) can now expect the same quality of service as those who have no language barriers. This is the result of a new three-way phone conferencing capability developed in 2011, which allows telephone interpreters to facilitate the conversation between the caller and our staff. The Real Time Interpreting Service has been up and running since April 2011 - it is working very well and has been successfully used approx. 20-30 times.
Continued on page 2… -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CONTENTS
Tayside Police Working Towards Equal Access Hello Communities – Help Us to Keep You Safe!
1&2 3
End to Gender- based Violence BSL DVD Feedback
5 6
Feeling Safe & Confident One to One With….
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Strategic Equality Development Tayside Police Equality Outcomes
7 8
Worth Knowing!
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Female Genital Mutilation
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One thing leads to another…..
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Tayside Police Ranks Swell
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Tay Equality EDITOR’S TOUGHTS
Equal Access Continued from Page 1….
8 March is a recognised National Women’s Day. And each year it is celebrated with a two week Women’s festival, during which issues impacting on the lives of women and girls are highlighted through a range of events at a local and national level. This year, a number of my colleagues and I attended a great conference which discussed some of the ‘taboo’ subjects, such as Female Genital Mutilation. See report on page 9.
Text Users contacting Tayside Police Nonemergency number 0300 111 2222 need to prefix with 18001 to communicate with Force Communication Centre hearing staff using Type Talk/Text Relay service.
Public Sector Equality Duty has implications for all aspects of police work, and that includes the merger of all the Scottish police forces into one by April 2013. As part of the extensive Police Reform work currently underway, I am excited to have been attached to the ‘Dealing with the Public’ Workstream to provide equality advice and assistance. I may need your help in informing any full Equality Impact Assessments that may be required. For our Equality Outcomes & how we intend to deliver them – see pages 7&8
For emergency calls from a Textphone dial 18000 Non Emergency Calls can also be sent on an E-mail to mail@tayside.pnn.police.uk.
Text users contacting staff via any direct dial extensions should dial 18001 plus full extension number including area code. For our staff to contact a text user, dial 18002 plus the full telephone number (including area code even if calling locally)
Tayside Police Making a Difference for BSL Users DVD – This DVD has information about some of our important services in BSL format. A copy can be requested by contacting: Tayside Police Post: West Bell St., Dundee, DD1 9JU Tel: 0300 111 2222 Text Relay/Type Talk: 18001 0300 111 2222 Email: mail@tayside.pnn.police.uk or
Mmmm interesting….. During the past few months a number of police officers have proactively sought to enhance their awareness of equality and diversity issues within the force and contacted me for assistance. Most discussions were face to face and some over the phone. I observed that all these officers were generally more aware and used the right kind of terminology to express views than when I first joined Tayside Police almost ten years ago. More importantly, they all recognise that in order to treat people fairly and equally they have to take account of individual needs – not treat them all the same – a frequent response by many in the early days.
Deaf Action (Tayside) Tel: 01382 221 124 Text: 01382 227 052 Fax: 01382 200 025. SMS: 07795 338 231 Email: taysideadmin@deafaction.org
Yet at the start of our discussions they seemed uncertain about their own diversity knowledge because their actions are often automatic, without the conscious realisation that they have adjusted their approach to meet someone’s individual need. My message to those officers … be assured you are on the right track and doing the right things. Treating people as individuals - that’s what makes a difference! Apparently new research shows that our brains start to shrink at a much earlier age than previously thought. To preserve my remaining brain cells I have decided to learn a new language! My personal challenge is to learn British Sign Language (BSL) – I am almost at the end of unit 2. It’s good for the brain, safer than bungee jumping, and lots of fun! I wish I had signed up sooner – good pun!:)
Community and Sign Language Interpreters and other communication support: options, such as note takers, are available for those who may require them. Tayside Police Non-emergency SMS Text Messaging Service: This service is for deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech impaired people, or those who can’t use . You must register your mobile phone. Registration forms are available from Tayside Police Force Communication Centre or these organisations: Deaf Links, Dundee Deaf Hub, 23 Brown Street, Dundee, Tel: 07711462385 (text & voice), email: alana@deaflinks.org.uk or Deaf Action (Tayside), 36 Roseangle, Dundee, DD1 4LY, Tel: 01382 221124/225627, Fax: 01382 200025, Texphone: 01382 227052.
Edition 4 is full of diverse articles with some of the most interesting subjects within the equality, diversity and human rights agenda. Thank you to all who contributed – couldn’t do it without you. Please keep it up!
A national 999 Emergency SMS Text Messaging Service has also been developed. For more information and how to register to use this other service please contact Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) or at www.emergencysms.org.uk
Nasreen Mohammed
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Tay Equality HELLO COMMUNITIES – HELP US TO KEEP YOU SAFE! Inspector Hazel Robertson ‘Prevent’ is one of the key elements of the UK Government’s Counter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST). It aims to stop people being drawn into terrorism and/or from supporting terrorist-related activity. This means responding to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it, by diverting people from being drawn into terrorism through providing, with the help of partners, appropriate advice and support. Thankfully such crimes are not commonplace and it is very important that relevant information about people potentially at risk is provided to the police either directly, through remote reporting sites or via Crime Stoppers. Positive communications with the public are the first line of defence against the serious impact these crimes could have. It is essential that we can speak about difficult issues with all of our communities and partners, such as further education establishments, schools and health/local authorities. National events such as the London riots clearly show why positive communications with partners are essential and assist the police service to provide accurate assessments of how to respond appropriately. We can continue to improve the quality of partner agency contact by police delivery of events such as ' ACT NOW ' and 'WRAP'. The 'Force Prevent Strategy' web page explains some of the workshops that can be delivered which highlight that Terrorism is a crime, it should be part of normal business for the police and partners and that there are ways to reduce the risk of people becoming involved in terrorism or violence. Tayside Police’s Prevent Coordinator (that’s me, Hazel) and Prevent Community ‘Engagement Officer, Kevin O’Donnell, can be contacted to assist with delivery of ‘ACT NOW’ and ‘WRAP’ training to partners and community groups. Both of us are also involved in Family Liaison, Witness Protection and other work within the Force Crime Intelligence Division.
http://www.tayside.police.uk/About-Us/Specialist-Units/Prevent FEELING SAFE & CONFIDENT! - PC Jennifer Keenan & PC Gill Grant, Community Safety, Central Division On 8 February 2012, we facilitated a new multi agency "safetaysiders" event for Dundee College at its Gardyne Campus. This type of event is usually done for all the Primary 7 Children in Dundee. The main aim of this initiative was to improve confidence and feeling of safety, and reduce vulnerability of disabled people. Approximately 90 students, all with learning or physical disabilities, attended and participated in a wide range of safety related issues. The topics covered included: • • • • • • •
Technology Safety - Claire Ramsay from Dundee City Council Home Safety -Laura McDermott from Dundee City Council Water Safety - Carl Raeburn from RNLI Drug and Alcohol Awareness - Peer Education Project Fire Safety - Tayside Fire and Rescue Anti-social behaviour - Community Wardens and ASBT from Dundee City Council Personal Safety - Tayside Police Community Officers
The event ran smoothly without any major hitches and all students participated to the best of their abilities. College staff found the event to be of great benefit to the students and plans to carry out follow-up tasks with the students, based on the information presented to them on the day. The College is keen to discuss the possibility of another similar event in the future – something we are happy to support.
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Tay Equality Katherine Burrows ONE to ONE WITH .... Dorothy Potter, Tayside Police Community Adviser Dorothy Potter is the Mental Health Service User Involvement Co-ordinator for Dundee Voluntary Action: a service that has been providing help and support to the voluntary sector since 1953 (originally as the Dundee Association for Social Services). By profession she was a teacher, but has always been involved with contributing to mental health issues, including setting up a Drop In Centre for people with mental ill health. Apart from helping and advising on available services Dorothy has set up a forum to enable the service users to contact organisations to actively seek help and to influence and shape services by giving input to statutory agencies such as Tayside Police and NHS Tayside. I attended a Service User Forum meeting and gained a massive insight into the hard work that goes on, not only by the staff of Dundee Voluntary Action but by the service users themselves. The Service User Forum is made up of around 25 people – ages range from 20 yrs and upwards - who consider the services available and advise on improvements. In particular they have worked with Tayside Police to comment on procedures in dealing with its service users and have collected data on people with mental ill health who have been arrested, to show the likelihood of them experiencing further problems, including self- harm and even attempting suicide. By carrying out a re-enactment of an arrest, the forum was able to help the police better understand how much distress is caused and have recommended further awareness training to improve police procedures. Meetings with Police representatives have also considered understanding the range of conditions and how the Police might deal with these. They have also considered topics such as arranging medication. The members of the Forum are making a huge contribution to improved welfare and service provision, and are expanding their knowledge by meeting with other, similar groups in other areas to share good practice and help improve services across the region. The regular Forum meetings are a great help by increasing confidence and teaching necessary skills to deal with people from different backgrounds. For further information and to become involved in this vital work check the Dundee Voluntary Action web site: http://www.d-v-a.org.uk/ Worth Knowing! National Police Reform and Tayside Realignment: From April 2013, the current eight Scottish police forces, Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) and The Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency (SDEA) will all merge into a single organisation to be called Police Service of Scotland. There is much work under way nationally to decide what the new Service should look like….with a lot more to follow. There is also significant restructuring and realignment of staff within Tayside Police. Gordon Scobbie, Tayside Police Deputy Chief Constable said in his recent Blog: “What is certain is that this is a huge project. We won’t be changing to a single service in one big move – and not everything will change significantly on Day 1. Yes we will be a single service from April 2013, but much of the change will be incremental and take place over a period of time. So change will continue beyond 2013 and be with us for a while….it’s something we will have to get used to!” Follow Mr Scobbie on Twitter @DCCTayside or send an email - feel free to ask him the difficult questions!:)
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Tay Equality These included: Tayside Fire and Rescue, Perth College, Central Scotland Fire and Rescue and NHS Tayside.
One thing leads to another…Katherine Burrows I’m celebrating two years as a Community Adviser to Tayside Police since I was introduced to Nasreen Mohammed in September 2009.
Then, I was asked to help with some “Trans Awareness” training for Central Scotland Police and that’s when things started to escalate. To help plan this properly I attended a few seminars run by the Equality Network and helped them with Awareness training too.
Actually, it all started when I attended a seminar run by Highland Police and I enquired who was in charge of equality and diversity for my local force. I joined the Strategic Community Advisory Group (CAG) and little did I know the ripple effect would bring me into contact with so many lovely people and give me a new “career” as a volunteer adviser and training consultant with so many organisations.
Earlier this year I received a call asking if I would help with a training course in Stornoway. This was for the Western Isles NHS, Police and Local Authority and I have now been there twice, with more booked for the New Year. Then came a call from Fife Police and I have started a series of sessions for them, as well as setting up a new course for NHS Forth Valley. I hope to do some work with tayside Police soon.
Almost as soon as I had joined the Strategic CAG I was contacted by Central Scotland Police and became a Lay Adviser to them. This contact put me in touch with NHS Forth Valley and …. well, I think you know what comes next…I joined their community advisers committee which is call the “Fair for All Group”.
This list gets longer almost weekly and I feel so honoured to be asked to help organisations, all of which are so kind and friendly to me. So, if your organisation would benefit from understanding more about Transgender and Transsexual people, I would be delighted to help.
It wasn’t long before I was being asked to give advice on equality policies and procedures and started being contacted by other organisations.
NOTE TO ALL READERS Tayside Police: We know that most of you do some exceptional work, but often no one knows about it! WE WANT TO KNOW – so please send us any articles about how you have made a positive difference by overcoming a challenge and/or tailoring your response to a person’s individual needs. Or is there an issue we or the community can help with? Community: Equally, as a member of the community who has received a service you feel was beyond your expectations and you would like to highlight or praise - or perhaps the service was lacking, please tell us – Help us get it right every time!
SPELLING AN END TO GENDER BASED VIOLENCE CONFERENCE -
Officer
Fran Coutts, Domestic Abuse
The above conference, by LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Domestic Abuse Project, in Edinburgh on 22 February 2012 looked at gender based violence - past, present and future - and the prevalence of sexual exploitation of pre-op trans women, some of whom are pushed into prostitution during this transition period. There were several workshops during the day including Young LGBT people's experiences of Domestic Abuse (the Voices Unheard Project) and the realities of homophobic / transphobic bullying. Work is ongoing; Dundee is one of the four Scottish areas benefiting from this work. This was a very informative day. The main message from the day was that LGBT people – especially LGBT youth - still do not feel supported in reporting any incidents, particularly Domestic Abuse, to the Police. To that end I have contacted The Corner in Dundee with the intention of working with LGBT youth in my role as Domestic Abuse Officer. Some useful links: www.lgbtdomesticabuse.org.uk www.lgbtyouth.org.uk
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Tay Equality TAYSIDE POLICE: Making a Difference BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE (BSL) DVD FEEDBACK – Nasreen
Mohammed Deaf Action Tayside held a session with their BSL user members to watch the above DVD. Here are some of their comments and suggestions for future improvements: • • • • • • •
•
I prefer the information in BSL as English is difficult for me. It goes over my head and I am not sure what some words mean. In BSL I feel confident and comfortable. It is much easier to understand. I like the DVD as I could go and look at it again and again if I was not sure what it meant or a situation happened. The BSL was clear. May be it should have subtitles on it so if my family were watching it too they would know what was being said? It was interesting information. I found out information about things that were new to me. I did not know about hate crime. I like that the Police have listened to the complaints from Deaf people and that they have tried to do something to make it easier for deaf people to understand what the Police can do to help us. We appreciate that they have paid attention to us, and now we have information we can understand. It is difficult for people to access if they do not have a DVD player, so maybe it would be good if it was on the internet too
Learning Points • Some people seem to like the DVD and others preferred the idea of the internet – might be a generational thing? • Many of the viewers needed the DVD backed up with some real time discussion, and also real life stories that had happened so that they could relate to real life situation/ experience. • When producing these kind of information DVDs it is felt to be useful to have ‘focus groups’ or discussion groups to make sure people fully understand what’s on the DVD. Tayside Police Response: Firstly, a BIG thank you to all who took the time to provide their thoughts and suggestions, and Deaf Action Tayside for helping to get the information. We are most grateful for this opportunity to learn for the future and share with others who may be interested in our experience. Secondly, we are delighted with the generally positive feedback from those who actually watched the DVD. We have considered your feedback and here I will tell you what we have done as a result of what you said and why we did not or could not do some of the things suggested. •
Re English subtitles – We would liked to have put subtitles and did discuss it at the time, however, as the main aim of this DVD is to promote equal access to our information and services for BSL users, the cost of adding English subtitles was not considered to be a good use of the limited funds available. People who can read English can access the same information, relatively easily through a number of existing methods.
•
Contact BSL info on Website – We liked the suggestion about putting the BSL information on our Website…and we did just that! As you can see on the front page, information about how to contact us can be viewed in BSL. We would like to put more of our information in BSL in the future.
•
DVD backed by real time discussion – We agree this would be useful and we would welcome the opportunities to do this. However, because each focus group / discussion would require the use of an interpreter, it is likely to be quite costly at a time of greatly reduced budgets. As we move towards the development of a single Police Service of Scotland, much of the information on our BSL DVD will need to be revised. This suggestion will be kept in mind at that time.
Our gratitude is extended to Deaf Action (Tayside) for this great example of what can be achieved when we work in partnership. Thank you!
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TAYSIDE POLICE LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS – Nasreen Mohammed The Equality and Diversity portfolio for external service delivery sits with the Deputy Chief Constable; for internal employment/staff issues it sits with the Director of Corporate Services; clear evidence of the Force Executive’s commitment to advancing equality and human rights for service users and staff. However, responsibility for achieving the equality outcomes set out in our action plan lies with everyone, from the highest ranks to front line staff, working in partnership with communities, where possible, to advance equality and human rights for all. The internal strategic structure for promoting and managing equality and diversity was reviewed in September 2011. The former Diversity Development Group is replaced by the Strategic Equality Group (SEG) with a revised reporting structure and remit as set out below: Remit: To maintain an overview of how and to what extent Tayside Police is giving ‘due regard’ to the need to: (i) (ii) (iii)
Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation; Advance equality of opportunity; and Foster good relations across diverse communities
These are the three main aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty (the General Equality Duty) This will be done by members of SEG doing the following: (a) Setting and reviewing Force Equality Outcome Objectives, through appropriate consultation and involvement of all internal and external stakeholders; (b) Establishing and supporting Tactical Working Groups to deliver the agreed Outcome Objectives; (c) Contributing to relevant assessments of impact on equality to ensure promotion of equality and human rights in all areas of business; (d) Monitoring and contributing to regular progress reports for internal and external publication. Membership of SEG: Deputy Chief Constable as chair, and relevant representatives from Divisions/departments, unions, federation and other staff associations. Operational divisions will play a strong role in ensuring the delivery of a fair and equitable police service. As such, divisional reps will have input on all Tactical Working Groups. Meetings: SEG will meet, quarterly during 2012 and at 6 monthly intervals thereafter, to review/monitor progress of Tactical Working Groups against the Tayside Police Equality and Human Rights Action Plan. Tactical Working Groups: These groups will work to achieve the Equality Outcome Objectives. The frequency and location of meetings, membership of groups and communication strategy etc. will be determined by individual leads. Reporting: Written progress reports will be submitted to SEG by Tactical Working Group leads prior to meetings as and when requested by SEG secretariat. For employment objectives, Human Resources and Staff Development Unit will provide update progress reports to the Strategic Equality Group in line with the Tactical Working Groups. Support for Tactical Working Groups: The Force Diversity Adviser (operational service delivery) and HR Equality Team and SDU staff will provide support to the Tactical Working Groups, as appropriate. In addition, the Personnel & Development Committee will play an oversight role in relation to the achievement of equality objectives in employment. This group includes senior divisional representatives and is chaired by the Director of Corporate Services. Strategic Community Advisory Group members will also assist when necessary.
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TAYSIDE POLICE EQUALITY OUTCOME OBJECTIVES - Nasreen Mohammed The Equality and Human Rights Outcome Objectives set out in our Equality Action Plan are designed to help Tayside Police meet the three main aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty and to embed a proactive approach that strives to preserve, protect, and, more importantly, promote Human Rights. They recognise that Equality and Human Rights are equally important and inseparable components that are required for fair and equal treatment of individuals in all contexts. The Objectives are based on evidence of need and agreed through involvement of and consultation with members of staff and communities most likely to be affected by the proposed actions. They also work towards delivering Tayside Police’s Community Priorities as stated within its Policing Plan 2011-2014; and the Scottish Government’s National Outcomes 7 (tackling significant inequalities in Scottish Society); 9 (living safe from crime, disorder and danger); 11 (public services that are high quality, continually improving, efficient and responsive to local people’s needs). Human Rights: All public authorities must ensure that everything they do is compatible with European Convention rights unless an Act of Parliament prevents them from doing so. Key principles include: fairness, equality, dignity, respect, autonomy and to live life in safety and with security - whether as a victim, witness, accused or a general service user or employee. These principles will underpin the delivery of all actions. The Equality Outcome Objectives listed in this section are underpinned by a live Equality and Human Rights Action Plan – subject to change as new issues emerge - that outlines the details of how the objectives will be achieved; what success will look like; who will do it; by when it will be done; and which equality groups will benefit. The progress against the action plan will be delivered by the Tactical Working Groups as explained on the previous page. Protected Characteristics: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership (employment only); pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation. Equality Outcome 1: Equal Access to Tayside Police information, services and public buildings for all Relevant Functions / Areas: Corporate Communications – Internal & External; Force Communication Centre (FCC) and Divisional/Departmental Service Delivery; Buildings - Public Areas and Meeting/Conference Rooms Equality Outcome 2: Meaningful Community Engagement Relevant Functions / Areas: Strategic and Divisional Community Participation and Engagement Equality Outcome 3: Public Treated with Respect & Dignity Relevant Function / Area: Professional Standards – Complaints About the Police Equality Outcome 4: Public Protected from Harm & Served Appropriately Relevant Functions / Areas: Public Protection - Community Safety and Crime Reduction; Hate Crime; Victim & Witness Support; Gender Based Violence & Elder Abuse; Care of Detainees in Custody Equality Outcome 5: Equality & Human Rights Mainstreamed into Core Business Areas Relevant Function / Area: Various areas of work as outlined in Objectives Equality Outcome 6: Equality in Employment and Development Relevant Functions / Areas: Human Resource Services and Staff Development Unit Our full Equality and Human Rights Action Plan is available externally on our Website www.tayside.police.uk under About Us/Equality & Diversity, and internally on our Intranet for staff. A copy in alternative formats can be requested using our contact methods on the last page of this newsletter.
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Tay Equality Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) and Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS) Conference: Mainstreaming Equality in a Changing Service, 22 February 2012, Dunfermline – Detective Inspector Caroline Lindsay I attended the above event and found it really interesting. The conference was opened by our own Chief Constable Justine Curran. The speakers included: Professor John Grieve from London Metropolitan University who set the scene from a post-Lawrence perspective; Deputy Chief Constable, Steve Allen from L&B Police; and Mr Neville Lawrence. Workshops covered the following subjects: • • • •
Forced Marriage in Scotland - Shakti Women's Aid. Hidden Harm (Female Genital Mutilation - FGM) - DARF and Dr Monica Mhojam. http://www.darf.org.uk/page2.htm Crossing Boundaries - challenges of transsexuality in the workplace and community - Katherine Burrows Hearing Differently – deaf Issues. Pauline Kelly, Glasgow Community and Safety Service and Helga McGlip, British Deaf Association.
I attended the Hidden Harm – FGM workshop and noted some points which may be of interest /use to police officers and other readers - not an exhaustive list; it's a complex issue. FGM is happening in Scotland and is often reported to a support agency e.g. Saheliya, in Edinburgh - victims may also be sent abroad or to England to have FGM carried out. There are 4 different types of FGM - different degrees of severity, each causing serious health issues (physical, sexual and psychological harm can be disabling and can cause death). Some of the motivating factors for FGM include: • •
• • • •
Cultural - 'that's what we do' Religion - viewed by some as a religious obligation e.g. to be a Good Muslim, Coptic Christians (Christians living in Egypt http://www.gotquestions.org/Coptic-Christianity.htm ), Ethiopian Jews http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ejhist.html. Purity, fidelity, honour - for some communities it is likely they believe that to fail to commit FGM on a child may be seen as bringing problems for the family. Social Was it acceptance especially for marriage. E.g. if it is desired to have a child married within own culture they are unlikely to be accepted unless FGM has been carried out. Aesthetics and hygiene. Gender identity and expectations of what is a good woman e.g. sexually not demanding.
FGM is likely to be carried out by someone with no medical experience or knowledge with unsteralised implements, even broken glass and no anaesthesia. The majority of victims are females aged 5 - 8 years, some are newborn or young children, adolescents, at marriage or during first pregnancy. Risk Factors include: • • • • •
Socio-economic position of the family and the level of integration within UK society. Older members of the family having undergone FGM. Intention of a long holiday (plans to take victim abroad for procedure). Prolonged absence of a child from school. Age - as above.
FGM is a human rights issue and clearly when the victim is a child it is a child abuse / protection issue which requires a multi-agency approach to ensure the child is safeguarded, even though the parents may have acted in the belief that FGM is the right thing to do and may not understand how it is perceived by others. See also, The Prohibition of the Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Act 2005. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2005/8/section/1 Tayside Police Gender Equality Forum - How to Make Change Positive for You took place on 25 Nov 2011 – An excellent event– more men attended this year than past initiatives. Good mix of speakers and subjects with some really useful workshops. For more information, contact Pam Syme using any of the method listed on back page of this newsletter.
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TAYSIDE POLICE RANKS SWELL…....by courtesy of Queensland Police Service, Australia - Nasreen Mohammed Deputy Chief Constable Gordon Scobbie happily takes charge of new recruit, Very Special Constable Koala, from Queensland Shellee Wakefield works for Queensland Police Service, Australia. She came over last year for the University of Dundee’s International Investigative Interviewing Conference. She was one of the presenters, but took time out to visit our HQ for the important handover – captured in the photo above. Although Shellee, is a Senior Policy Officer in their Domestic and Family Violence Unit, her major focus when we met was on police interviews involving language interpreters (e.g. effects on police perceptions of a suspect or witness and the interview itself). We hope to share in the outcomes of her project once finalised. Police officers, however, need not be concerned about this break from standard Force recruitment policy - definitely a one off VSC Koala is lazy to put it mildly, lounging on desk tops and window shelves all day, and, no interest in professional development - which no doubt will be reflected in his first appraisal! In his support, I suppose we should recognise that it takes a while to get used to new policing styles. The upside is that he is not at all demanding and Oh Sooooo CUTE!!!:) And that’s definitely noteworthy!
Other Noteworthy Items…. Ethnic Survivors’ Forum: On 8 Feb, Roshni, an organisation working to improve child protection measures, held an event at the Scottish Parliament, about child sexual abuse within the minority ethnic communities. There was much discussion about the prevalence and the associated cultural sensitivities and honour related barriers. There was also a suggestion that the police and other relevant agencies perhaps don't do enough to bring perpetrators to justice and protect the victims. To address this concern, Tayside Police and ACPOS Honour Based Violence Working Group will work with Roshni to identify and reduce existing barriers. New Calling Card - The calling card, left in homes to say an officer had called, reason for the call and what the recipient should do on receiving one of the cards, has been redesigned with help from our valued Community Advisers – thank you for your ideas. The new card was introduced on 27 February 2012 and has replaced the old card. Its introduction was accompanied by an entry on the Force Bulletins to advise staff. Joint Criminal Justice Awareness Event – 8 December 2011 The aim of this event at the Tayside Deaf Hub, was to promote access to the criminal justice sector by people with disabilities who may face a range of barriers when they or their family/friends use these services, whether as a victim, witness or accused. Over 30 people braved the stormy weather to participate! Thank you!
If you would like to submit an article, provide feedback or request this update in an alternative format please contact Nasreen Mohammed Diversity Adviser West Bell Street Dundee, DD1 9JU Telephone: 01382 596742 (prefix with 18001 for Text - Relay) mail@tayside.pnn.police.uk
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