Gender pay gap report 2023-2024

Introduction: Assistant Chief Officer Philip Wells

We remain committed to closing our gender and ethnicity pay gaps and improving our representation across all levels of the force. While the 2023-24 year has shown improvements in the proportion of females within the force and a positive trend in females and candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds during initial promotion processes, it has unfortunately also shown a widening of gender pay gaps, as well as a lack of senior representation for across genders and ethnicities.

Although some of the data in the current report shows positive trends in the right direction, others indicate where we still have much more work to do. Our goal remains to close these gaps entirely and drive forward senior leadership opportunities for women and those from ethnic minorities, so our attention will remain on supporting and developing our workforce with a focus on diverse representation and inclusive culture.

 

Gender representation

The breakdown in gender demographics shows that we continue to have a higher proportion of females to males in police staff roles. For police officers, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of females (from 36.75% in 2020-21 to 39.96% in 2023-24), which is a positive trend in the right direction.

N/A	2023-2024	2022-2023	2021-2022	2020-2021
Female Officers	577	545	515	480
Male Officers	867	857	858	826
Female Staff	771	741	733	708
Male Staff	447	446	435	413

 

Officer Proportion	Percentage
Officer Female proportion	39.96%
Officer Male proportion	60.04%
Staff Female proportion	63.30%
Staff Male proportion	36.70%

 

Breakdown of workforce

Looking at the female and male split at each officer rank, we have seen an increase in the percentage of female Constables in the last few years (from 37.09% in 2020-21 to 40.91% in 2023-24).  

Within the Senior Rank proportion (Chief Inspector and above) females make up 37.04% of the population which is slightly lower than the 2022-23 figure of 40.91%, however it is an increase from the 2021-22 figure of 36.73%.

Officer Head Count	2023 -2024 Females	2023 -2024 Males	2022 -2023 Females	2022 -2023 Males	2021-2022 Females	2021-2022 Males	2020-2021 Females	2020-2021 Males
Constable	441	637	417	633	400	641	375	636
Sergeant	82	144	80	145	67	136	64	119
Inspector	34	52	30	49	30	50	24	42
Senior ranks	20	34	18	26	18	31	17	29

 

Senior Officer – promotion progress

We have a good female representation at the senior ranks within our Force:

• Senior officer posts with female representation in 2023-24 have been the Assistant Chief Constable in the Joint Protective Services, 3 Chief Superintendents, and 4 Superintendents.
• Police staff positions at Chief Superintendent and Superintendent equivalent roles with female representation have been the Head of Legal Service, the Head of Estates, the Director of Strategic Service Improvement, the People and Workforce Development Manager, the Tactical Intelligence & Performance Support Manager, the Head of Unit (ERSOU) and the Legitimacy & Public Service Director.

We follow standard promotion processes for officers across our three collaborated forces. In 2023/24 the promotions for internal candidates resulted in the following outcomes:

Chief Superintendent: 

In the Chief Superintendent process, from the 3 female applicants 2 received a board pass; and from the 2 male applicants 1 was successful.

Superintendent:

In the Superintendent process, there were more applications from males than females (8 male applicants and 4 female applicants). From all applicants, 1 female received a board pass.

Chief Inspector:

In the Chief Inspector process, there were more applications from males than females (15 male applicants and 6 female applicants). From all applicants, 4 males received a board pass.

Inspector:

In the Inspector process, there were more applications from males than females (17 male applicants and 9 female applicants).  From all applicants, 12 males and all 9 females received a board pass.

Sergeant:

In the Sergeant process, there were more applications from males than females (34 male applicants and 22 female applicants). From all applicants, 22 males and 18 females received a board pass.

On the whole, more males applied for promotion than females, while female candidates had a better overall success rate across most ranks.   

The gender pay gap

Median: The mid-point in the range

Mean: The whole range expressed as an average

Police Staff and Police Officers combined (includes all staff and officer levels)

The median gender pay gap is 10.04%.

The mean gender pay gap is 6.70%.

Compared to the 2022/23 data, the mean pay gap has widened by 0.77% and the median gender pay gap has also widened by 2.82%.

Police Staff and Police Officers separated

When we split out the data for staff and officers, we can see that this does change the dynamic:

The median gender pay gap for officers is wider than for police staff (officers 14.37%, police staff  5.28%).  

The mean gender pay gap for police staff is slightly wider than for officers (officers 4.33%, police staff 7.81%).

Compared to the 2022/23 data, the gender pay gaps have widened. Staff mean pay gap has increased by 1.94%, and the median staff pay gap has also increased by 3.47%.  The Officer only mean gender pay gap has increased by 0.98%, and the median gender pay gap has also increased by 5.09%.

Employee Quartiles (Staff and Officers combined)

N/A	Q1 - Lower quartile	Q2 - Lower middle quartile	Q3 – Upper middle quartile	Q4 – Upper quartile
Male Proportion	44.21%	43.54%	54.44%	55.26%
Female Proportion	55.79%	56.46%	45.56%	44.74%

 

Overall, there has been a higher representation of males in Q3 and Q4 than of females. In this reporting year, there are some changes in the quartile breakdowns when compared to the previous reporting year.  In Q1, there is an increase of the female proportion of 3.70% due to the recruitment focus for females entering the Force. In Q2 and Q3 there has been a decrease in the female proportion of 3.05% and 2.66% respectively.  Q4 shows the most significant change which is an increase in the female proportion by 5.85%.

The bonus gender pay gap

For Police Officers, there is Home Office national guidance, introduced in 2003, that allows Forces to make one-off bonus payments of between £50 and £2000 when an officer has carried out work of an outstandingly demanding, unpleasant or important nature. Specific to Firearms officers, there is also a national agreement for bonus payments to be made as an agreed retention incentive. Though paid as a bonus payment in previous years these are now being paid as a temporary Targeted Variable Payment (TVP) which has been in place since 2017.  The value of these firearms payments in remain at the same value and can be up to a maximum total of £2,000 per officer annually.  The situation remains unchanged that most firearm officers are male, and this continues to affect the bonus gender pay gap data. The TVP scheme allows Forces to recognise specialist skills and to assist with retaining officers in these types of roles which now includes detectives as well as other specialist units.

Police staff are eligible to receive honoraria payments for work that is over and above their normal duties and/or of particular importance or quality, and payments require formal sign off to review the rationale for the payments.

In 2023/24 we gave £600 to all Detectives and Detective Sergeants in detective roles and £500 to all tutors that had tutored over an agreed amount of the year in the form of a Targeted Variable Payment.  Firearms Tactical Advisors also received a TVP of £750 per quarter in this reporting year.

Bonuses- Staff and officers combined.

In comparison to 2022/23, the median bonus pay gap has remained 0%. The mean bonus pay gap has widened to 22.98% in comparison to the last reporting year (15.35%).

N/A	Number of Recipients	% of males and females who received a bonus	Median Payment	Mean Payment
Male	219	16.47%	£600	£1152.44
Female	184	13.29%	£600	£887.66

Officer bonuses

The median bonus pay gap has closed, while the mean bonus pay gap has increased significantly and is showing a pay gap of 41.80%.

 

Staff honoraria

The median bonus pay gap has widened from 0% in the previous year to 13.23%, whereas the mean bonus pay gap stands at -24.75%.

Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting

We are continuing to record the ethnicity pay gap data for our collaborated Forces.

In Bedfordshire, the breakdown of the population and hourly rates is as follows:

Beds	Any White origin	Any Asian origin	Any Black origin	Any Mixed origin	Any Other origin	Prefer not to say	Unknown	N/A
Population Count	2339	127	39	58	3	59		Total: 2662
Mean – hourly rate	£19.85	£18.86	£19.52	£18.76	£15.22	£17.16	£23.73	N/A
Median – hourly rate	£19.68	£18.64	£19.68	£18.92	£15.41	£14.25	£19.68	N/A

Police Staff and Police Officers combined (includes all staff and officer levels, excluding prefer not to say and origin unknown)

The median ethnicity pay gap is 4.18%.

The mean ethnicity pay gap is 5.04%.

When compared to the last reporting year, the mean ethnicity pay gap has narrowed by 1.65%.  The median ethnicity pay gap has also narrowed by 1.34%.

Police Staff and Police Officers separated.

As with gender pay, when we split out the data for staff and officers we can see that this does change the position:

The median ethnicity pay gap for police staff is -2.64% and for police officers is 0%.

The mean ethnicity pay gap for staff is -0.47% and for police officers is 6.77%, showing a closing of the mean officer ethnicity pay gap by 1.3% compared to 2022/23.

The ethnicity breakdown in ranks is as follows for this reporting year:

Officer Head Count 2023-2024	All white origin	All non-W origin	PNS & Unknown
Constable	904	116	58
Sergeant	164	17	6
Inspector	77	7	2
Senior ranks	50	4	0

 

Employee Quartiles (Staff and Officers combined)

N/A	Q1 - Lower quartile	Q2 - Lower middle quartile -	Q3 – Upper middle quartile	Q4 – Upper quartile
Any White origin	83.16%	88.59%	88.72%	90.99%
Any Non-white origin	9.92%	9.16%	8.72%	6.31%
Prefer not to say and Unknown (Origin unknown)	6.92%	2.25%	2.56%	2.70%

 

This is the second year that we have complied ethnicity quartile data.  In comparison, the quartiles display little variation from the previous year.

The bonus ethnicity pay gap. 

The arrangements for the ethnicity bonus pay remain the same as that for gender pay.  This data has been redefined by ethnic groupings to show the pay gap differences.

Staff and officers combined.

The median bonus pay gap is 0%.

The mean bonus pay gap is -4.63%.

Compared to the last reporting year, the median bonus pay gap has remained 0% and the mean bonus pay gap has shifted to -4.63% from 6.49%.

Senior Officer – promotion progress

In 2023/24 the promotions for internal candidates resulted in the following outcomes:

None of the candidates in the Chief Superintendent and Superintendent processes were from ethnic minority groups.

Chief Inspector:

Out of 21 applications, 1 was from a candidate from an ethnic minority group, with no board pass received. 

Inspector:

Out of 26 applications, 4 were from candidates from ethnic minority groups, who received a board pass.

Sergeant:

Out of 56 applications, 13 were from candidates from ethnic minority groups, and 10 received a board pass.   

On the whole, applications from candidates from ethnic minority groups were comparatively low. At the same time, these candidates had a high success rate during the Sergeant and Inspector processes.

Summary

The Be You culture underpins our delivery plan and is regularly promoted through learning opportunities, activities and messaging. The Wellbeing, Inclusivity and Culture Board has provided an oversight of Bedfordshire’s equality, inclusion, wellbeing, and cultural activity.

Key activities during 2023/24 include:

• A continued recruitment focus on attracting and retaining a more diverse workforce, including providing support to those applicants who are under-represented.  Continue understanding the reasons for under representation in specialist units such as Dog and Firearms and how we can encourage and support more female officers in these teams. Female representation in these areas is a national issue and work continues to support an increase.
• As part of our commitment to the BCH accreditations for a ‘Menopause Friendly’ and ‘Carer Friendly’ organisation we raise awareness and signpost support, and promote support mechanisms such as workplace adjustments.  
• The Becoming Career Ready programme, led by the BCH Women of Colour in Policing, has supported cohorts of women from Black, Asian, and other underrepresented ethnic backgrounds.  It has offered a networking and learning opportunity, and a space for peer support.
• Work continues to champion female representation and progression through the Bedfordshire Women’s Network including an annual event open to everyone.
• Our Blue Bell support group offers confidential support to colleagues who may have witnessed or been a victim of inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace. It promotes inclusive culture for all and raises confidence in reporting and reducing offending within Bedfordshire Police.
• The Bedfordshire staff groups and networks including Diversity Support Group, Enable, Bumps and Babies, Christian Police Association, LGBTQ+, and a network of peer supporters through our Wellbeing create a sense of community and belonging and opportunities to share experiences and support colleagues.
• A series of inclusion and culture related learning and development have been delivered such as a Cultural Intelligence programme, leadership workshops in Valuing Difference, Being an inclusive manager and Anti-racism, to promote an inclusive workplace environment.

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