Male police officers win gender discrimination case

A police force accepted it had discriminated against two male officers due to their gender.

The Suffolk Police officers were displaced from a "proactive policing team" and given new roles before being replaced by two female officers.

According to the Suffolk Police Federation, the force made the decision based on "operational reasons linked to gender balance".

The force said it recognised "this was not the right way to go about it, and we will carefully reflect on that", after an employment tribunal ruled the officers had been discriminated against.

At the time, the policing team had been made up entirely of male officers, after a female officer had left by choice to pursue an alternative role.

Instead of recruiting and filling the vacancy, the force removed the two male officers from the team and swapped them for two female ones.

The hearing was told the decision-maker was aware the action was discriminatory and had been advised of this by Human Resources, yet still chose to proceed.

An employment tribunal said the officers had been subjected to "unlawful direct discrimination on the basis of gender".

"This case should never have reached this stage," added Emma Arthurs, Suffolk Police Federation representative and equality lead.

"This decision sends a clear message to our members - we are here to represent you, to stand up for you when something is wrong.

"Discrimination, of any kind, has no place in policing."

The case also highlighted a lack of record-keeping and governance around the decisions made by the force, the Suffolk Police Federation said.

"This case demonstrates why transparency, accountability, and proper processes matter," she added.

"We welcome discussions with the force going forward to ensure that lessons are learned and that similar situations can be avoided.

"We always want to work constructively with Suffolk Police to help it be as efficient, fair, and effective as possible.

Suffolk Police said it accepted the tribunal's judgement and would ensure that "this isolated incident is never repeated".

"We are committed to maintaining a fair and supportive working environment for all colleagues with professionalism and accountability at the heart of everything we do."

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