New Lay Advisors Take Up Roles
Wednesday, 03rd September 2008
A team of new community lay advisers have taken up their roles working with Central Scotland Police to ensure that policing services are delivered in as professional a manner as possible.
More than 20 advisors - recruited after a Central Scotland-wide appeal for volunteers - met senior officers at Force HQ in Stirling last week at the launch of the new lay advisory scheme.
The new scheme encompasses a much broader range of equality issues and does not solely focus upon race. The enhanced lay advisory scheme now considers a number of diversity issues including religion and faith, disability, age, gender and sexual orientation.
Chief Supt Gordon Samson, who has responsibility for policing within communities, addressed the new-look lay advisory group, which included new and returning members during a welcome and familiarisation evening.
He said: "Over the years the existing protocols served both Central Scotland Police and the local community well. There was a growing recognition of the need to build relationships still further and widen the remit of the lay advisors and that included looking at other diversity strands as well as race.
"There was also a need to extend lay involvement beyond that of principally policy review into other areas such as advising senior investigating officers during sensitive investigations or enquiries, monitoring our service delivery in areas such as hate crime and providing advice on employment and procurement processes."
The new lay advisors are pictured at Police HQ with Deputy Chief Constable Iain MacLeod, Ch Supt Samson and Central Scotland Police staff and officers.
Mr MacLeod, who will chair the new group, said: "This is about being as inclusive in delivering a service to the communities of the Forth Valley as possible and giving people the opportunity to help us shape future policing delivery.
"This is an innovative group that will consider some important issues beyond issues of race. Central Scotland Police is wholly committed to providing a service which meets the individual needs of everyone in the community irrespective of race, cultural background, ethnicity, religion and faith, sexual orientation, disability, age or gender. This group will be a key part of that commitment."
