Ethnicity Pay Gap Report 2022 to 2023
Introduction
The Ethnicity Pay Gap (EPG) is different to equal pay, it shows the difference in the average hourly rate of pay between Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees, and White employees. This information is generally expressed as a percentage of average White employees' earnings, and is calculated using the same calculation methodology as for gender pay gap reporting.
Northamptonshire Police support the fair treatment and reward of all staff, irrespective of ethnicity. Our pay approach is based on the principles of consistency, fairness and transparency, supporting the fair treatment and reward of all staff, irrespective of ethnicity.
Gender pay gap reporting was made a statutory obligation for all organisations with more than 500 employees in 2016, with many organisations including Police Forces using this data to better understand and address issues with gender representation across their organisations. There is a strong argument that a similar approach can be taken in relation to EPG reporting, this is further supported by action 16 of the Inclusive Britain report which states:
Action 16:
We will address the challenge with ethnicity pay gap reporting to support employers who want to demonstrate and drive greater fairness in the workplace.
BEIS will publish guidance to employers on voluntary ethnicity pay reporting to summer 2022. This guidance, which will include case studies of those companies who are already reporting, will give employers the tools to understand and tackle pay gaps within their organisations and build trust with employees.
Northamptonshire Police Data
Northamptonshire Police recognise the importance of assessing pay data in conjunction with the Forces' ethnicity data and understanding where there are areas that need further action.
The Force already has a number of strategies in place to support closing the pay gap, this comes from clear leadership that supports and celebrates ethnicity across the force, working with staff forums and networks to review our existing processes for recruitment, promotion and pay.
Alongside these activities the Force has clear training programmes in place to support equality, diversity and inclusion, and looks to challenge unconscious bias provisions and practices.
Where there is a positive percentage, this means that the average pay of a white member of staff is higher than that of a member of staff from an ethnic minority group. The higher the percentage, the greater the ethnicity pay gap. A negative percentage mean means that the average pay of the ethnic minority group is higher than that of the white group.
Profile of Northamptonshire Police Workforce
The combined profile of the Force is a total of 2662 individuals made up of Police Officers and Police Staff.
Northamptonshire Police uses the national Police Officer ranks ranging from Constable to Chief Constable. Each rank has a specific pay scale. Police Officers move through the pay scale within a rank based on length of service, regardless of ethnicity.
For Police Staff we use the national pay scales determined for the role following formal job evaluations. Each grade has a specific pay scale staff move through the grades based on length of service regardless of ethnicity.
Mean Hourly Pay
The following table shows the mean pay gap (the difference in the average hourly pay for each ethnic group compared to the white ethnic group):
| Hourly Pay | White | Asian | Black | Mixed | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | Officers | £188.70 | £155.70 | £188.60 | £177.60 | £177.90 |
| Officers Mean Pay Gap (Ethnicity vs White) | - | 15.85% | 0.64% | 5.78% | 4.13% | |
| Staff | £166.90 | £166.60 | £155.40 | £166.20 | £166.50 | |
| Staff Mean Pay Gap (Ethnicity vs White) | - | 2.19% | 8.92% | 4.01% | 2.28% | |
Asian Officers have a very high pay gap of 15.85% when compared to White Officers, whilst Black Officers have a much smaller gap of just 0.64%.
For Staff the data shows that Black employees have the largest pay gap of 8.92% when compared to their White colleagues, and Asian colleagues have the lower gap of 2.19%.
Median Hourly Pay
The following table shows the median pay gap (the difference in the median hourly pay for each ethnic group compared to the white ethnic group):
| Hourly Pay | White | Asian | Black | Mixed | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | Officers | £20.60 | £13.90 | £20.60 | £15.50 | £20.60 |
| Officers Median Pay Gap (Ethnicity vs White) | - | 32.78% | 0.00% | 24.93% | 0.00% | |
| Staff | £16.10 | £15.20 | £15.70 | £15.70 | £15.00 | |
| Staff Median Pay Gap (Ethnicity vs White) | - | 4.12% | 1.75% | 1.70% | 5.24% | |
Asian Officers have a very high pay gap of 32.78% when compared to White Officers, whilst Black Officers had no pay gap in 2023.
For Staff the data shows that Other minority ethnic group employees have the largest pay gap of 5.24% when compared to their White colleagues, and Mixed colleagues have the lower gap of 1.70%.
Quartiles Data
Pay quartiles measure the representation of employees in different ethnic groups at different levels of pay in an organisation.
The hourly pay quartiles are calculated by listing all employees in order of hourly pay and splitting them into 4 equal parts.
The following table shows the proportions of Officers and Staff by ethnicity in each pay quartile:
| Quartile | White | Asian | Black | Mixed | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officers | Lower Quartile | 92.1% | 2.2% | 0.7% | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| Lower Middle Quartile | 94.5% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 2.0% | |
| Upper Middle Quartile | 93.0% | 1.6% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 2.3% | |
| Upper Quartile | 98.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.0% | 0.0% | |
The lower quartile range relates to hourly rates of up to £177.99. The lower middle quartile is hourly rates of £188.00 - £222.41. The upper middle quartile is hourly rates of £222.42 - £288.29.
| Quartile | White | Asian | Black | Mixed | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | Lower Quartile | 90.9% | 3.2% | 1.1% | 2.1% | 2.7% |
| Lower Middle Quartile | 93.5% | 1.8% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 1.5% | |
| Upper Middle Quartile | 93.6% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 1.4% | |
| Upper Quartile | 92.0% | 3.5% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 2.5% | |
The lower quartile range relates to hourly rates of up to £144.68. The lower middle quartile is hourly rates of £144.69 - £166.77. The upper middle quartile is hourly rates of £166.78 - £200.62.
Taking Action
Northamptonshire Police is committed to addressing pay gaps.
Our actions to continue to reduce the pay gap:
- Stronger Together DEI training in line with the Training Needs Assessment continues around force with particular inputs around Senior Leadership Teams and management training. Aiming to highlight the barriers between different groups, how to better embed DEI workstreams and inclusive teams to enhance representation across all areas of the organisation
- Embedding better links to the staff networks in relation to reviewing policies so that any intersectionality is identified and worked on
- Interviews across force with advice and support from Positive Action teams to help recruitment processes be less weighted and more representative of our workforce
- The force has completed an internal response into the findings of the Casey review, addressing any issues surrounding sexism and misogyny
- Implementation of Safe to Say campaigns, to encourage retention across force
- Positive Action roadshows in line with recruitment intakes. Giving potential applicants from a diverse background the opportunity to reach out for support. Interview masterclasses and advice and guidance on National Sift and Assessment Centre
- Marketing campaigns specifically tailored to under-represented groups, with wording of adverts run through an identification process to remove words that have a gender imbalance