Gender Pay Gap 2023

Dorset Police

Our Force covers a hugely diverse geographic area, from the dramatic cliffs of the Jurassic Coast to rolling hills inland.

Although Dorset is predominantly rural, we also police Bournemouth and Poole, an urban area larger than most British cities, and many towns and villages. In addition, Dorset is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, with millions of visitors coming every year to enjoy the spectacular scenery and sandy beaches.

This makes policing in Dorset a unique challenge, but one that our workforce rise to with courage and pride.

Sex split of our police family

1. Overall the Force is made up of 52.6% men and 47.9% women. (The trend is going up)
2. The officer split is 67% men and 33% women. (The trend is going up)
3. The staff split is 37.3% men and 62.7%.(The trend is going up)

Our gender pay gap at Dorset Police

Dorset Police continues to focus on increasing our workforce diversity and in particular women in to police officer roles. One outcome of attracting more women into policing is a short term adverse impact on the gender pay gap however, the trend over the last five years shows us moving in the right direction and the gap in the hourly rate continues to close.

We continue to take a proactive and targeted recruitment approach. The results show an increase in women starting a career in the police service compared to previous years. Our degree holder entry routes continue to see greater diversity, with the Detective Constable route being particularly attractive to women. The volume and quality of the women joining our workforce helps us to build a strong pipeline of talent to nurture for future progression.

Gender pay isn’t just about women. We need to ensure that family-friendly policies apply equally to men. And it doesn’t stop there. As an organisation we need to ensure our culture is inclusive, supports, encourages and gives confidence to men to apply for part-time working, family-friendly hours, shared parental leave and time off for dependents. Our data shows us that most flexible working applications come from women. Where we do receive flexible working applications from men a higher percentage are rejected. During the next 12 months this will be an area of focus through our leaders and our networks to start the discussion and normalise men playing a greater role in sharing family responsibilities, and most importantly how we can support those wishing to do so.