Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has signed a new anti-racism pledge, signalling her ongoing commitment to challenge racism and religious hatred.
The County Durham and Darlington PCC became the latest public figure in the region to join the North East Anti-Racism Coalition’s (NEARC) ‘Become the Bridge’ campaign this week.
The initiative calls on North East organisations to take meaningful action to challenge racism within their operations and systems, and to foster a workplace culture where people stand together and act consistently to reject racial prejudice.
By signing up, the Commissioner has agreed to take practical action to challenge racism for a fairer and stronger North East. This includes developing an anti-racism strategy over the next 12 months.
The Commissioner has vowed in her Police, Crime and Justice Plan to robustly address hate crime, outlining a series of commitments to strengthen the collective response to the issue, improve the response to victims, identify hate crime at the earliest opportunity and to encourage more reporting.
She has also pledged to promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within the force and her own office, making a specific commitment to monitor the effectiveness in tackling issues regarding diversity, equality and human rights.
The PCC already actively supports anti-racism awareness, supporting the charity Show Racism the Red Card and its programme of workshops with local school children to encourage conversations about racism and promote understanding about the harm inflicted on communities through unacceptable attitudes and stereotypes.
“Become the Bridge is more than just a symbolic signature,” said Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen.
“It’s about leading by example and ensuring my office and everyone we work with is committed to the same principles and values to conquer division and eradicate racism from our communities. Actions speak far louder than words and I am proud to be part of this movement.
“Racial prejudice segregates and excludes. It weakens the very foundations of our communities and undermines everything we stand for here in County Durham and Darlington. As Commissioner, I refuse to give racism any room to damage or undermine our way of life, or cause fear, distrust and isolation.
“Our county is a welcoming place for all. And I will see to it that it remains that way and becomes even safer, stronger and more inclusive in the future.”
The Coalition has a mission to make the North East a region that actively opposes racism and hatred based on religious identity.
Recently, more than 100 voluntary and public organisations attended a Become the Bridge event in Durham for an update on NEARC’s latest research.
The Commissioner joins several high-profile individuals and organisations in becoming part of the Build the Bridge movement.
The collaboration will open the door to a network of like-minded peer organisations and resources to help civic leaders, volunteers and community groups take positive and proactive action to address racism.
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