Workforce Gender Balance Equality Drive from Police Scotland
October 24, 2024—Police Scotland has informed about the gender balance in its workforce and its drive for a balanced workforce based on a Freedom of Information request. Data available with the force makes it clear that Police Scotland is committed to making the force environment representative of the larger population.
Workforce Gender Profile
As of 31 March 2024, the police officer and staff posts in Police Scotland were characterised by a striking difference by gender. In this regard, the following is the gender representation within Police Scotland:
| Role | Gender | Percentage | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police Officer | Male | 65.74% | 10,951 |
| Female | 34.26% | 5,708 | |
| Police Staff | Male | 37.83% | 2,095 |
| Female | 62.17% | 3,443 |
This means the breakdown of gender is such that the personnel of officers is majorly dominated by males, while females dominate the majority of the police staff. Surprisingly, the organization is working to close these gaps towards the aspiration of gender parity.
Recruitment Statistics for August 2024
Data for recruitment in August 2024 also highlights one of the issues that has still not been overcome by Police Scotland with gender balance in its recruits.
| Role | Gender | Applications | Appointments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police Officers | Male | 196 | 0 |
| Female | 70 | 0 | |
| Police Staff | Male | 819 | 7 |
| Female | 1,242 | 5 |
Despite a very solid volume of applications in August, the appointment rate was low with seven males and five females recruited and no new officers appointed to the MFB.
Strategic Steps Towards Gender Equality
In that respect, Police Scotland has outlined some objectives in its Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2026. In addition to those above, Police Scotland issues periodic reports under the Equality Act 2010 detailing and discussing what the force is doing to achieve a better-balanced workforce. These are six-monthly reports last published in April 2023 and the next in April 2025.
Future Outlook
The publication of the gender data from Police Scotland speaks volumes of its commitment to broader equality and accountability. Police Scotland remains committed to minimizing any gaps that exist in respect to gender parity for both officers and staff, with ongoing initiatives attracting nothing but the best, most diverse talents into its ranks. It fosters an inclusive workplace culture that underpins such progress.
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