1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025
8. Summary and action plan
Key issues identified:
- pay gap in favour of males across all measures (including bonuses)
- under-representation of female officers in middle ranks and grades
- higher proportion of female staff in lower graded staff roles
The action the force will take in relation to the identified issues is below:
| GPG | Actions | Timeline | Success measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 Career progression support |
Launch mentoring and sponsorship programmes for female officers and staff. Promote internal development schemes with targeted outreach to female employees. |
By Q2 2026.2027 | Increased female participation in development programmes and promotions. |
| 1.2 Retention strategy |
Conduct exit interviews and engagement surveys to understand barriers to long-term service. Provide regular reports on identified trends and proposed action to address. |
By Q4 2025.2026 | Improved retention rates and reduced gender disparity in service length. |
| 1.3 Recruitment monitoring |
Track gender distribution at entry points and across pay scales. Ensure recruitment campaigns are inclusive and gender balanced. |
By Q1 2026.2027 | Balanced gender representation in new hires and across ranks. |
| 1.4 Leadership representation |
Track and monitor female representation in senior roles. Promote visibility of female leaders through internal communications and events. |
Ongoing | Increased female representation in senior leadership roles. |
| 1.5 Bonus equity |
Review bonus allocation criteria and ensure transparency in decision-making. Introduce regular quarterly review of bonus payments. |
Review by Q4 2025/2026, annual monitoring. | Equitable bonus distribution across genders. |
| 1.6 Data monitoring and reporting |
Publish annual pay gap reports with clear progress updates. Use data dashboards to track representation and rank/grade distribution. |
Annual reporting, dashboard by Q1 2026/2027. | Transparent reporting and data-driven decision-making. |
| 1.7 Bonus application review |
Introduce regular quarterly review of bonus payments. |
First review by Q1 2026/2027; annually thereafter. | Policies reflect inclusive and equitable practices. |
| 1.8 Training and awareness |
Ensure training for supervisors on unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, and equitable decision-making. |
First review by end of Q3 2025/2026. | Improved awareness and inclusive behaviours among managers. |
| 1.9 Employee engagement | Host listening sessions and feedback forums to inform future actions. | Engagement activities ongoing from Q3 2025/2026. | High employee participation and actionable feedback. |