The purpose of the project is to broaden entry into the police service, increase social mobility and encourage involvement from all backgrounds.
When Mr Chris Rowley became our Chief Constable, he wanted our team to focus on our communities who are from a socio-economic underprivileged background, as well as, hard to reach communities, as part of our work around Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion.
We work in partnership with Runshaw College, the Horizons cohort is made up of students from a range of diverse backgrounds. The cohort is inclusive of those from an economically and socially impoverished background, those with additional learning needs, disabilities, and those from a Ethnic Minority background.
This year’s project commenced in October 2022 and runs until May 2023. Each week, a guest speaker from one of a plethora of our departments attends Runshaw College and facilitates a session covering the various roles, both uniform and non-uniform that play a part in meeting our forces’ objectives. Depending on the nature of the session, the students will attend our Headquarters. E.g. Visiting the Force Control Room to gain an understanding of the role, the pressures, challenges and the viewing of live calls. They also visit our Mounted Branch to receive an input about our horses and the departments’ capabilities. This allows the students to get a feel of our workplace too. Most of the guest speakers are from similar backgrounds to the students, some who attended Runshaw themselves and have now become senior officers in the force.
Currently, we have a window for the Special Constabulary open, looking to open a window for the role of a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). We will also be opening a window for our Force Control Room soon. Many people join our organisation in one of these roles before joining as Police Officers. Students will be encouraged to apply, and our team will support them at every stage of the process by helping them navigate the assessments.
We recently closed a window for the role of a Police Officer, and over thirty students from the Horizons project have applied. They will be supported at every step of the six-stage assessment process, in the shape of mock assessment centre, mock interviews and an information booklet on nutrition and exercise written by a qualified personal trainer who happens to work on our team. This is also followed by mock fitness tests which are run on site and at the college.
All those who eventually join in whatever capacity live locally, will have a better understanding of their communities and will impart that knowledge to the force. We retain the corporate memory, and everyone internally will increase their own knowledge and understanding of our different communities. Those who are unsuccessful in gaining employment would have attained invaluable skills and advice which will benefit them when applying again or for jobs elsewhere. They go onto make a valuable contribution to society and will hopefully go onto become proponents for policing.
At the end of May 2023, the projects success was evalaated and much work has commenced to roll it across the county throughout 2024.
How did your project come to fruition?
When our current Chief Constable secured his post, this was an area he felt we could do a lot more work around increasing social mobility and tasked the team with coming up with a plan to become a more inclusive organisation. We carried out due diligence and then approached Runshaw College who were more than willing to come on board once we had discussed our vision. Due to tight timetables, the sessions are delivered during the students’ lunchtime. This reinforced the passion and determination the young people have in wanting to join the police service and make a difference to their communities, as well as see and make changes to the current and future challenges policing faces.
How has your project provided opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds?
We offer coaching and mentoring through a number of ways. We run bespoke sessions covering how to navigate assessment centres. We help with mock interviews by running face to face sessions, and where feasible on a 1-2-1 basis. There is ongoing support, and all the students have access to our email address and telephone number. We choose guest speakers who are like the students, as we believe in the maxim, ‘if you see it, you can be it’. Some of the guest speakers have come from a similar background and some have attended the same college. This further allows the students to have the confidence to joining our organisation and can see themselves in the shoes of the guest speakers too. We provide opportunities for the students to visit our sites to see the different roles on offer.
What impact has your project had on your target audience?
It has had a positive impact on all involved in the project. We have seen over a hundred students take part in the project. Many have seen policing as a career of choice, where this may not have been the case previously. We have seen a trickle of students apply for various roles prior to this project being rolled out. There are currently over thirty students in the assessment process of becoming police officers, a number we have not seen prior to this project being rolled out. As the project continues, we should see more applications for both the uniform and non-uniform roles and with more vacancies projected over the next twelve months, I believe we will see more students from Runshaw applying. The students also become our ambassadors whilst out in their communities.
How will receiving this award benefit your project?
The award will attract more people from as diverse a background as those that make up our communities, thereby increasing the diversity of our workforce and allowing us to reflect the communities that we serve. This will allow further strengths and knowledge to be brought to our force.
It will improve and increase engagement from participants by creating a sense of belonging and recognising there is space for all to bring their whole selves to work, and help remove barriers to performance.
It improves performance and can change working practices and cultures, which in turn will raise public trust and confidence, and improve satisfaction within our communities.It will lead to innovation and creativity, as well as diversity of thought.
Please provide an endorsing statement from someone who can support this nomination (Max. 500 words)
As residents of Lancashire, we, at Runshaw are committed to assisting our Police Force to be reflective of our communities. We believe education changes lives and our commitment to the Horizons project aids students to access careers that they, otherwise, may not have the opportunity of accessing.
It is immensely gratifying to work in partnership with Lancashire Police for greater inclusion and opportunity. We cannot become complacent and must continuously work to achieve the Chief Constables ambition in making Lancashire Police the most inclusive employer it can be, at Runshaw, we are proud to be supporting this ambition.
The Horizons programme exemplifies what the broader curriculum should offer. On a weekly basis over 100 students aged 16-18 are exposed to a range of highly engaging and inspiring events, demonstrations, and guest speakers. It contextualises the curriculum and provides first-class careers advice and guidance. Most importantly this programme inspires students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds to dream big and pursue a rewarding career to keep society safe and secure.
There are over 30 students from the horizons project that are currently going through the application process to become police officers in Lancashire. Many others awaiting the opening of PCSO and call handler roles.
The commitment of police officers and police staff within Lancashire Police also helps towards improving public confidence from hard-to-reach groups including students from a range of socioeconomic and diverse backgrounds including young people, members of the Ethnic Minority community, females, and individuals with both visible and non-visible disabilities. The diverse make up of our horizons project is further creating a culture of acceptance, respect, and tolerance. Promoting British Values is important to us at Runshaw, they allow us to create environments and communities free from discrimination, intolerance, and hate. Lancashire Police value our communities and celebrate diversity which will help to further challenge prejudice and stereotyping, strengthening relationships within the community.
The positive impact of the horizons project has been immense for Lancashire Police, Runshaw College and most importantly the wider community. We hope to continue to grow and improve the horizons project to reach even more individuals from diverse backgrounds. This award would allow the project to become widely recognised and acknowledged, continuing to attract a greater variety of students to the horizons project and Lancashire Police.
