That is what the Black Police Association have suggested according to Police Oracle.

Following recent national debate about the number of ethnically diverse officers in the police service, led by the BPA and the Home Affairs Select Committee, the BPA are alleged to have asked to be placed on an “equal footing to statutory staff support associations”. The report states:

“Given the lack of diversity in the statutory staff support associations. The NBPA would like the government to consider that NBPA is placed on an equal footing at both national and local level in engaging with chief constables and police and crime commissioners,” it says.

The worrying thing, given the seemingly unequal treatment by the Government of minority ethnicities in policing over all other protected characteristics, is that the NBPA could be given such status, bit the rest of the staff support associations, including the DPA, will be ignored.

But is it necessary for staff support associations to be given a statutory mandate?