The MPA Generic Equality Scheme

The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) is committed to creating a Generic Equality Scheme (GNES) that not only encompasses the legislative equality duties we face with regard to disability, gender and race but also challenges us as an organisation to champion and drive equality and diversity issues internally and within the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

In producing a generic scheme, the MPA is actively working to incorporate other diversity strands that we do not, as yet, have a legislative duty to include. By doing this we place equal emphasis on establishing parity in terms of age, religion &/or belief and sexual orientation, creating a more holistic approach to equality and diversity.

• Generic Equality Scheme [Word Document]
• Generic Equality Scheme [PDF Document]

Public authorities, such as the MPA are expected to uphold and promote equality and human rights in everything they do. Accordingly the MPA has legal duties relating to race, gender and disability. The obligations within each area focus on:

• promoting good relations;
• promoting positive attitudes;
• eliminating harassment; and
• eliminating unlawful discrimination

These obligations are set out in the race equality duty, the gender equality duty and the disability equality duty. The three equality duties are similar in spirit as they all place the onus on public authorities to actively tackle discrimination and promote equality. However each duty does have slightly different requirements, which need to be met in order to satisfy the legal obligations. For example the disability duty requires public bodies such as the MPA to ensure that we actively involve and consult with Deaf and disabled people in the development of our policies, practices and in developing our Disability Equality Scheme.

In January 2006 the MPA formed a generic equality scheme working group. This working group drew on a variety of views, including those of Deaf and disabled persons, and began the process of drawing up the content and discussing the consultation mediums for an MPA Generic Equality Scheme (GNES).

The working group consisted of individuals from across all units within the MPA as well as external stakeholders. This was to ensure that all staff had a role in and took responsibility for the development of the GNES. The Race Equality scheme had already been established, so the focus of the working group became the drafting of the MPA Disability and Gender schemes. A decision was taken by the working group to focus on these areas first due to the legislative deadlines that these schemes had to be developed by. These schemes have since been published and are available on the MPA website along with subsequent update reports.

In the summer of 2008 the MPA has completed additional action plans for age, religion &/or belief and sexual orientation. These new action plans have been combined with updated action plans from the existing schemes on disability, gender and race to form the MPAs first Generic Equality Scheme.

The Generic Equality Scheme addresses how we will safeguard and promote employment rights as well as address service delivery issues. It is a narrative of what the MPA is currently doing and will do in the future to meet legislative duties. The GNES contains numerous action plans that outline how the MPA will meet specific time frames, for each of the six diversity strands (age, disability, gender, religion &/or belief and sexual orientation).

This first iteration of the MPA GNES is a very large document, as it must effectively function as a bridge between the existing independent schemes and the new methodology of a combined holistic scheme. As the MPA progresses the actions within its GNES the scheme will be refined and streamlined to create a more manageable, accessible document that will be closely aligned with the MPA business plan.

MPA team leaders, who make up the Business Management Team (BMT) and our Senior Management Team (SMT), will monitor the GNES, supported by the Equality & Diversity Officers. Other mechanisms will be established to provide comprehensive monitoring of the GNES.

The GNES will be reviewed annually and formally updated every three years.

In the summer of 2008 the MPA completed its Generic Equality Scheme (GNES). This generic scheme combined the MPAs existing equality schemes on disability, gender and race with action plans for the remaining diversity strands of age, faith/belief and sexual orientation.

• Gender Equality Scheme
• Race Equality Scheme
• Disability Equality Scheme

Contact details

If you would like a copy of any of the equality schemes, please contact the MPA.
Copies of the equality schemes can be requested in different community languages and other language formats.

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