Basingstoke MP, Maria Miller, chaired the quarterly BAME Reference Group meeting.
Maria commented: “Every resident regardless of their ethnicity needs to know they will be treated fairly by the Police and that is why Hampshire Constabulary have been an important member of the BAME reference group from the beginning. At the latest meeting they updated the group on the work they are doing to recruit more officers from BAME backgrounds, going in schools to address issues surrounding stop and search and empower young people to understand their rights and ask questions.”
“The Chief Midwife at Hampshire Hospitals foundation trust presented the additional work being done to better understand maternity outcomes for BAME women in the Trust and to be able to address any inequity.”
“Raising awareness of inequity is an important start but tackling the root causes takes time. Employers and schools have shown recall understanding of the need for change, but we need to continue to work on other areas highlighted in the original Inquiry report.”
The reference group was formed by Maria Miller MP in December 2020 following the publication of the Inquiry into the lived experiences of the BAME community in Basingstoke. The purpose of the group is to monitor progress in key areas highlighted by the Inquiry. The Group is made up of a wide range of organisations including The Police, Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust, Basingstoke Unites against Racism (BUAR), The Afro Caribbean Society, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Fujitsu, and other community leaders and organisations.
The 2020 Inquiry contacted residents from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds who make up Basingstoke’s community. Working with BUAR, evidence was gathered from 17 different community groups. Individual submissions were also received. It was often the case that people were speaking about their experiences of discrimination for the first time. Overwhelmingly, the inquiry showed that people loved living in Basingstoke, but for people from ethnic minority groups racial abuse was also present in everyday life.