Statement following Employment Tribunal judgement on race discrimination

An employment tribunal has found that Thames Valley Police had discriminated against three white police officers because of their race when appointing an officer to a Priority Crime Team.

Matthew Barber said: “It is critical in building confidence across our whole community that there is never any discrimination in policing. In this case, the Employment Tribunal found that the Force had discriminated against the claimants on the basis of race. This is clearly unacceptable and should not have happened.

"I recognise Thames Valley Police’s commitment to building a workforce that represents the whole community, but it is apparent from the judgement that the Force was wrong on this occasion in that the processes it followed were not fair, transparent, or competitive.

“I am clear that Thames Valley Police must treat everyone equally when making appointments, determined solely on merit. I will ensure a full review into the processes, policies and approach by the Force to ensure this cannot happen in the future.

“There must be no place for any form of discrimination in policing and I expect the Chief Constable to ensure that all communities are treated equally by Thames Valley Police.”