Discussion
POTENTIAL police officers in Bristol are to be quizzed about their sexual orientation under plans unveiled by the Home Office.
People applying for jobs with the Avon and Somerset force will be asked to tick a box on the recruitment form saying whether they are heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian. They can, however, indicate that they would "prefer not to say".
Home Office officials said there was no obligation to tick any box and any information given was confidential.
Three police forces - Bedfordshire, Lancashire and Leicestershire - began including the sexual orientation question in staff surveys this year.
However, Avon and Somerset police chiefs said they would not include the questions in their annual staff survey, which is separate to the application process.
Elaine Parr, force spokeswoman, said: "No decision has been made to introduce the question in our staff survey next May.
"We try to stay away from asking too many personal questions as it is not the aim of the exercise. The survey is there to find out how staff feel about their working environment, facilities and atmosphere at work."
Last month, the Evening Post highlighted a "positive action" programme being run by Avon and Somerset Constabulary to give extra help to would-be recruits who are gay, black or disabled.
The Gay Police Association says it is supporting sexual monitoring because the difficulty of quantifying levels of gay officers in the past had led to their marginalisation.
Strategic director Sian Lockley said: "It's not about asking people who they have slept with and it's not about quotas - we do not want a certain percentage of the workforce to be gay. Positive action has to be backed up with facts and figures.
"If we already do gender and race monitoring, how do you defend not doing sexual orientation monitoring?"
Linda Gittings, joint branch secretary of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation, said: "Some perceive sexual monitoring as suspicious because it helps to build up league tables and statistics, but if it is done properly there are positives to be gained."
www.thisisbristol.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145176&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144906&contentPK=10742738
People applying for jobs with the Avon and Somerset force will be asked to tick a box on the recruitment form saying whether they are heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian. They can, however, indicate that they would "prefer not to say".
Home Office officials said there was no obligation to tick any box and any information given was confidential.
Three police forces - Bedfordshire, Lancashire and Leicestershire - began including the sexual orientation question in staff surveys this year.
However, Avon and Somerset police chiefs said they would not include the questions in their annual staff survey, which is separate to the application process.
Elaine Parr, force spokeswoman, said: "No decision has been made to introduce the question in our staff survey next May.
"We try to stay away from asking too many personal questions as it is not the aim of the exercise. The survey is there to find out how staff feel about their working environment, facilities and atmosphere at work."
Last month, the Evening Post highlighted a "positive action" programme being run by Avon and Somerset Constabulary to give extra help to would-be recruits who are gay, black or disabled.
The Gay Police Association says it is supporting sexual monitoring because the difficulty of quantifying levels of gay officers in the past had led to their marginalisation.
Strategic director Sian Lockley said: "It's not about asking people who they have slept with and it's not about quotas - we do not want a certain percentage of the workforce to be gay. Positive action has to be backed up with facts and figures.
"If we already do gender and race monitoring, how do you defend not doing sexual orientation monitoring?"
Linda Gittings, joint branch secretary of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation, said: "Some perceive sexual monitoring as suspicious because it helps to build up league tables and statistics, but if it is done properly there are positives to be gained."
www.thisisbristol.com/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145176&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144906&contentPK=10742738
I wondering how the esteemed Mr Mungo would answer that one.....
"Sexuality? Yes please..."
On a serious note. Does *anyone* car if the coppers are male, female, black, white, green, gay, straight, have wings, enjoy soft rock on a sunday evening etc.....
Who gives a crap if they're good at catching bad guys.
"Sexuality? Yes please..."
On a serious note. Does *anyone* car if the coppers are male, female, black, white, green, gay, straight, have wings, enjoy soft rock on a sunday evening etc.....
Who gives a crap if they're good at catching bad guys.
Absolute twaddle IMO, shouldn't be allowed. Of course ticking 'prefer not to say' is going to make some people jump to their own conclusions... 
Could lead to some great conversations with drunks though: "Well if you must insist on calling me a big poof sir, please bear with me while I contact one of my homosexual colleagues for you..."
PS Linda Gittings??!!! Please tell me that isn't her real name!
Could lead to some great conversations with drunks though: "Well if you must insist on calling me a big poof sir, please bear with me while I contact one of my homosexual colleagues for you..."
PS Linda Gittings??!!! Please tell me that isn't her real name!
OOOOOOOOOh ! I just love those kinds of questionaires!
It gives one the opportunity to have a little sport with the muppets that thought all these prying questions up!
For instance, did you know that im actually a jewish bisexual martian-cum pre-op tranny, with black skin?
At least on paper anyway! Do you reckon itll prejudice my application into the KKK?
It gives one the opportunity to have a little sport with the muppets that thought all these prying questions up!
For instance, did you know that im actually a jewish bisexual martian-cum pre-op tranny, with black skin?
At least on paper anyway! Do you reckon itll prejudice my application into the KKK?
it if it doesn't break it" We have to ask people what they regard their own ethinicity as when we fill out various forms. For simplicity I have the "16+1" self defined ethnicity definitions printed out and stuck on the back of my HORT 1 pad.
I just show them this list, and ask them to choose from the options how they'd describe themself. I couldn't care less what people say, I just write down whatever category they tell me.
Some people thinks it's absolutely hilarious to describe themselves as something they're quite patently not...
Trouble is, they then take the hump when you put down the code on the form to describe the freckly, ginger haird, pasty white Irishman as "Black British - African" which they've just picked.
I just show them this list, and ask them to choose from the options how they'd describe themself. I couldn't care less what people say, I just write down whatever category they tell me.
Some people thinks it's absolutely hilarious to describe themselves as something they're quite patently not...
Trouble is, they then take the hump when you put down the code on the form to describe the freckly, ginger haird, pasty white Irishman as "Black British - African" which they've just picked.
Mr E said:
On a serious note. Does *anyone* car if the coppers are male, female, black, white, green, gay, straight, have wings, enjoy soft rock on a sunday evening etc.....
Who gives a crap if they're good at catching bad guys.
Gut reaction to that is nope I don't give a damn, but on second thoughts.......
wings would be useful methinks.
save a bit of fuel in the helichopter too though that mamba searchlight/ and IR vision kit might be a shade uncomfy around the trouser furniture region 
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff