Accessibility

1.18 The information on protected characteristics is valuable because it enables Home Office and the public to monitor whether police forces are becoming more representative of the communities they serve – a key objective of the uplift programme. Users told us they welcomed the detailed data on the diversity of the workforce. Since January 2022, Home Office has published record-level data on the number of police officers in post and new joiners by ethnicity, sex and age groups in an open data format. The publication of record-level data encourages re-use – it gives users greater flexibility in producing their own analysis and allows them to compare data between quarters more easily. We support the continued growth of data published on the programme.

1.19 The Home Office statistics team disseminates the uplift data to Home Office and policing stakeholders in a range of ways. It produces several quarterly data products which are tailored to different types of users, including a database and dashboard for the PUP; a PUP overview dashboard for NPCC; a diversity dashboard for police contacts and NPCC regional leads; an uplift achievements summary for the grants team (which informs payments to police forces); and an overview for Ministers. Separately, the NPCC data team produces a dashboard of monthly management information for police forces and Ministers, which allows forces to monitor their performance and compare it with other forces. These dashboards were developed in an iterative way with feedback from users. It is good that both Home Office and NPCC regularly engage and consult users to understand their requirements for analytical products, and that the needs of different types of users are considered. These dashboards are not in the public domain. Home Office may want to consider developing a publicly available dashboard to add value for users outside the department and policing organisations.

1.20 The statistics are easy to access, and the data tables are well-structured. The bulletin signposts data tables throughout the commentary, making it easy for users to find the relevant data. All data are broken down by police force, and the data tables contain separate totals for England and Wales. Most users we spoke use only the data tables; they do not read the statistical bulletin. To facilitate appropriate use by such users, Home Office should explore ways to add information about data quality to the data tables.