Equality diversity posts costs 2025

6 March 2025

Request under the freedom of information act 2000 ref no: FOI2025/01135

I write in connection with your request for information received on 4th February.  I note you seek access to the following information:

Under the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, can you please tell me the following:

1. How many equality and diversity posts, uniformed and non uniformed, are employed in your Police Force?

2. What is the cost of such posts and any necessary direct admin support?

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?


In question 1 you ask:

"1 How many equality and diversity posts, uniformed and non-uniformed, are employed in your Police Force?"

By uniformed and non-uniformed are you referring to both Officers and civilian staff employees who are uniformed and non-uniformed, or...

does this request solely relate to uniformed and non-uniformed Police Officer positions ?

Response:

1. 2
2. £101,295.00
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.