The impact of DEI training on organisational culture and performance.
In the years leading up to June 2018, a number of incidents led to the police in Bristol experiencing a reduction in confidence within the Black community. “As a consequence, youth and recruitment events that the police held locally were being undermined; there was a clear lack of support; overt criticism and even hostility”.
The community expressed mistrust of the police, with specific concerns about incidents where officers consistently racially profiled individuals. A viral incident involving the tasering of a well-known and respected senior member of the Black community added to the community’s negative impression of Avon and Somerset Police.
The National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) focuses on cultivating cooperative and productive communities and businesses. We offer transformational training in various fields, including leadership, unconscious bias, identity training, validating different faiths and resolving community conflict. Participants leave with the knowledge and understanding to create change within the workplace, their communities and themselves.
NCBI were called “to initiate a process of mutual understanding; reconciliation and the creation of positive projects”, to get the police and the Black community working together to resolve some of the “really tricky relational and trust issues that were facing both the Bristol police and local Black communities”.
In June 2018, NCBI worked with Avon and Somerset Police and the community towards deploying resources effectively and building better relationships. This joint working partnership resulted in a Police and Community Relationship Building Event called “A Brighter Future for Bristol”. The day was delivered using the NCBI Controversial Issue Process, with a workshop covering:
The workshop aimed to strengthen listening, deepen understanding across differences and develop skills for responding more effectively to human behaviour. It also focused on rebuilding trust and long-term relationships between the police and the Black community, while creating shared momentum for practical joint projects and securing leadership commitment to sustain meaningful engagement.
It was agreed that “reframing” is always necessary as a basis to work for change, as it removes the “emotional charge” that can stop considerate, inclusive thinking for most people. A previously agreed issue statement referencing institutional racism, which had divided the room, was reframed as:
As a result of the workshop, participants identified 28 activities for Bristol. The 28 projects, which had a positive impact on police and community relations, collaboration and communication, included the following areas:
“NCBI delivered a challenging event, that was enjoyable and fully engaging for all who attended. This led to ownership in the room of a shared ‘Big Question’ that we all committed to resolve together, with an amazing 28 distinct and shared projects emerging to bring my officers and the Black communities of Bristol together in constructive and collaborative ways”Bristol Police Commander, September 2018
“We are enjoying an increasing proportion of the African and Caribbean communities who are welcoming a constructive dialogue and relationship with the Police. They accept that Avon and Somerset has changed and are doing many things right. There is hardly ever a reference to Institutional racism”Bristol Police Commander, February 2020
“we have significantly more positive contact. We are displaying more cultural awareness and intelligence. We are seen as more transparent. We share more that we get right and more of what we get wrong by living up to our ‘learning organisation’ mantra”
“I credit the events you delivered for us as critical to these positive changes. You changed both Police and community thinking about the relationship we have with each other and started us down the path of having a clear vision and plans to get there”
“I genuinely believe that I would not be where I am today if I had not commissioned you to host the original events”.
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