POLICE and Crime Commissioner David Keane has told rival candidate John Dwyer to “check his facts” after being accused of spending more than other forces on “diversity and inclusion” employees.
Mr Dwyer questioned figures showing that Cheshire Constabulary has spent around £600,000 more than neighbouring forces on ‘diversity and inclusion’ employees, while Mr Keane, said these figures had been published in error following a Freedom of Information request, with revised figures of £283,031 published within days.
Mr Dwyer, the Conservative’s Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner candidate, said while he is supportive of equality and diversity, he questioned why the bill was so much compared to that of nearby forces around the same size, especially as the public are being asked to stump up more to pay for the police in their council tax bills.
According to findings in a Freedom of Information disclosure by the TaxPayers Alliance, the total spent on diversity and inclusion employees by 26 forces who responded from across the country was £7,924,000.
The constabulary that spent the most was Cheshire at £735,000, almost 10% of the declared national expenditure. By comparison the neighbouring force of Staffordshire, which is of a similar size, spent £116,000 and Merseyside, which is around twice the size of Cheshire, spent £150,000.
Commenting, Mr Dwyer said the spend by Mr Keane, Cheshire’s Labour Police and Crime Commissioner, was excessive.
He said: “I need to make it clear that I am fully supportive of equality and diversity and it is certainly needed – indeed Cheshire Constabulary was awarded Stonewall’s Equality and Diversity accreditation during my initial term of office as a result of the steps we had taken in this regard.
“However, I am surprised, and concerned, about the level of expenditure that Mr Keane has authorised.
“In my view it is excessive. Mr. Keane should be asked to explain this level of expenditure when he has claimed the need to raise the policing tax for local residents by 40 per cent during his five years in office because of Government cutbacks.”
Mr Keane responded: “The figures John refers to are not at all accurate.
“I am told that an administrative error led to incorrect figures being published, in response to an FOI request to Cheshire Constabulary, but that a revised figure (£283,031) was published within days.
“I made a commitment in my Police & Crime Plan to invest in a workforce that reflects the diverse make-up of our county. I’m really proud of the historic tradition in British policing: that the police are the public – and the public are the police. Attracting the most talented people from all our communities is vital to building a police service that is fit for the future.
“Only last week, I received a letter from the Conservative Minister for Policing thanking me for the positive change I’m bringing to policing but asking me to keep pushing to improve diversity in the police service.
“Contrast this with the criticism directed at Cheshire throughout John’s time in office by his own government. It was under John’s leadership that Cheshire Police were criticised for not having a single black officer. It was also under John’s leadership that the government suspended Cheshire Police from the ‘Best Use of Stop and Search’ scheme, after serious concerns were raised following an inspection.
“This is the unacceptable legacy that I inherited.
“I’m really proud of the significant progress we’ve made since. Not only has Cheshire Police been readmitted into the scheme, having been found to comply in all areas, but we have also consistently progressed towards a workforce more representative of the Cheshire population.
“We still have a long way to go but I remain committed to attracting the most talented people from all of our communities as we continue to recruit additional police officers and staff.
“I’d encourage John to check his facts before trying to jump on the latest political bandwagon. And he certainly has no right to be giving lectures about excessive spending.As PCC, his average yearly expense claims cost Cheshire taxpayers thousands of pounds more, even whilst staff were being made redundant and police officer numbers were being cut to a historic low.
“Sadly, John has had nothing to say about the positive achievements of Cheshire Constabulary over the past few years but I’m grateful for the opportunity he’s given me to set the record straight on their behalf.”
