Member

The duty on the police does not dictate any particular outcome, nor is it a bureaucratic exercise. The level of due regard considered sufficient in any particular context depends on the facts, but the duty supports good decision-making by helping decision-makers understand how their activities affect different people. If an individual is Black, they may face a different challenge in society for a range of reasons. The police need to understand that as part of their equality duty responsibilities, as they need to for people who are transgender, gay or lesbian, have disabilities or face misogyny. It is important that the duty is applied in a proportionate way but, as I said in Committee, all it does is ensure that equality issues are considered by public authorities, helping them to maintain public trust and legitimacy in the communities that they serve.