Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

4 April 2025

Request under the freedom of information act 2000 ref no FOI2025/02375.

I write in connection with your request for information received on 18 March.  I note you seek access to the following information:

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like to receive the following details regarding equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) roles and associated costs within Bedfordshire Police:

1. How many equality and diversity posts, uniformed and non-uniformed, are employed within Bedfordshire Police?
2. What is the cost of such posts and any necessary direct administrative support?
   1. Please provide a breakdown of these roles, including job titles and corresponding salaries.
3. How many of these posts are filled by ethnic minority applicants?
4. What is the number and cost of external training bodies and courses for equality and diversity training?
   1. Please include details of any external providers used and the total amount spent or projected expenditure for such training.

I am required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (The Act) to handle all requests in a manner that is blind to the identity of the requestor. Any information released in response to a request is regarded as being published and therefore, in the public domain without caveat.

Response: Following searches conducted within the Human Resources Unit of the Force; please find some of the information you have requested below:

1. 2
2. £101,295.00

2a.

**The data in the table above has been disclosed in this manner, so as to avoid a blanket Section 40 exemption**

3. Exempt – please see the Section 38 & Section 40 exemptions below
4. Nil

Bedfordshire police can confirm that it holds addition information in relation to your request however, I am not obliged to supply the information you have requested.  Such information is exempt under the following exemptions: 

Section 38 – Health & Safety

Section 40 – Personal Information

The Section 38  exemption is class based qualified exemption. This means that the legislators when writing the legislation considered that the release of such information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 would cause harm to the public authority or individual concerned.

There is therefore no requirement to carry out a HARM Test in respect of such information. However there is a requirement to carry out a Public Interest Test in order to establish whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption may be outweighed by a wider public benefit in disclosure.

The Section 40 exemption is a class based absolute exemption. This means that the legislators have identified that there would be harm in disclosure and there is no need to evidence this or carry out a public interest test. 

Evidence of Harm

Law enforcement is of paramount importance and Bedfordshire Police will not divulge information if to do so would place Police staff at risk of identification.

Whilst there is a public interest in the transparency of our organisation, once information is disclosed the force will have no control of who sees the information.

There is a risk that email accounts will be targeted, perhaps by a disgruntled individual, or bombarded with email traffic for no other purpose than to disrupt the normal day-to-day running of business email correspondence, such disruption could undermine the work of the force generally.

Public Interest Considerations

Factors in favour of disclosure

Providing information would increase public awareness of individuals within the Force who work within equality and diversity roles within Bedfordshire Police. This would increase communication between the Force and the public. 

Factors in favour of non-disclosure

The harm test within the FOIA legislation is well articulated in terms of balancing the rights of individuals. 

Disclosing information regarding an individual employees’ self-defined ethnicity would place information into the public domain that could inadvertently identify the individual. The numbers of employees within our Force is relatively small and it is important that employees can operate in a risk-free environment.

This point relating to physical and emotional safety is not unrealistic or fanciful, this has been a reality recently with employees being identified, resulting in members of the press and the public attending their home address causing anxiety not only to the employee but also to members of their family. This could easily have been others with more nefarious intent.

Balancing Test

The points above highlight the merits for and against providing information that is relevant to this request.  Whilst there is a public interest in the transparency of the organisation, providing assurance that Bedfordshire Police can appropriately and effectively undertake its daily work without disruption is vital and that employees can operate in a risk-free environment.

Due to the pressures on the Force, it is not in the public interest to allow information to be disclosed that may disrupt activity within the organisation. 

Therefore, the balancing test for disclosure is not made out.