Sarah Johnson

T/ACC Ministry of Defence Police

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@mike200hope @WeCops Absolutely, being honest about the role and the reality of it and a focus on the challenges in decision making, community relationships and negotiation which underpin every job and the skills that individuals bring in those areas. #WeCops

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@paz565 @WeCops Internal processes that allocate roles based on length of service or rank rather than an individual's skill sets or aptitude or an assessment of what specific skills or knowledge are needed in relation to local communities. #WeCops

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@WeCops Role models have had a huge impact on my career and still do, having someone who is like me meant I felt more able to approach them and ask questions and feel like they would understand my perspective so I think women role models are critical. #WeCops

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@WeCops Recruitment that focuses on skill sets and not just length of service, role modelling that allows women to see themselves in the role, access to seeing what the role really consists of and support when in post. #WeCops

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@WeCops Varying informal entry routes in forces, the way public order duties and training are allocated, a lack of access to understanding about what the role is really like and real challenges about retaining people when they change to different roles or take maternity leave.#WeCops

[#WeCops @WeCops]

We have a new Blog!

Police Race Action Plan – @WeCops Chat Summary

Earlier this year @WeCops were kind enough to host an insightful, thought provoking and hugely beneficial Q&A on the Police Race Action Plan (PRAP). We would like to thank WeCops for hosting the discussion as well as to everyone who got involved.
The session saw nearly 100 replies to the three questions as well as lots of associated commentary, which have all provided food for thought for the programme team as we look ahead to publishing the next iteration of the plan this summer.
For those who missed it, or would like a reminder of what was said, the below is a summary of the conversation.
Q1) What are the blockers preventing Black communities from trusting the police and how can we overcome them?
Assistant Chief Constable Dennis Murray, who leads the Thames Valley Police local race action plan and tweets @TVP_ACC, said delivery of the plan was imperative and communities would not engage with us if they thought this was just another tick box exercise. ACC Murray said that the Race Action needed to work towards delivery of outcomes – and that debate can be used as an excuse not to take action. “It is imperative that we move away from defensiveness – if we had over 40 plus years of evidence of a different policing issue, we wouldn’t be debating it,” he said. 2This is a fundamental trust and confidence policing issue – policing by consent – that means every community!”
Assistant Chief Constable Katy Barrow-Grint @ktbg1, also from TVP, said it was important for policing to reflect the communities it serves, citing the work of @WoCiPBCH Women of Colour in Policing have been doing to support role models and build trust.
Chief Constable Elliot Foskett @CC_Foskett, the national policing lead for race and inclusion, agreed that policing had spent 40 years saying the same thing without taking real action. Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Akehurst @ACCHerts from Hertfordshire also agreed, saying there had been a lack of visible and tangible progress on PRAP and that visible leadership was needed to improve these issues consistently and for the longer term.
Chief Superintendent Jon Cummins @CSuptJonCummins from Dyfed Powys said continuity of leadership was an issue, and that having people in posts for longer to build relationships would be beneficial. Other points raised included a lack of understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion in general across policing, a lack of trust in policing in Black communities as well as blockers which remain in the service, such as bias. Nick Glynn, @NickGlynn the interim chair of the PRAP’s Independent Oversight and Scrutiny Board, said racially biased use of police powers were a huge cause of mistrust in policing in Black communities. “People want to see this change, for real, for those figures to improve, so change is felt on the streets and in people's lives,” he said.
T/Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dr Alison Heydari, @A_HeydariMPS the programme director for the PRAP, said: “At the heart of building trust and confidence has to be effective engagement in a way that is meaningful to the communities we serve. Black communities must feel that they can participate and that the police will listen to their concerns.”
Q2) Which actions should the police race action plan prioritise in the short-term and long-term?
There were lots of different ideas and thoughts around this, including better representation in policing, improved communication, an increase in community policing and strengthening scrutiny panels to oversee police powers.
Inspector Kerri Monaghan @kerrimonaghan1 from West Mercia said culture was key and that until cops understood how other people experienced policing, they would not be able to change their behaviour. @mrscookie26 said meaningful engagement by policing teams at the heart of their communities was most important, stressing the need for the plan to be fully embraced by neighbourhood officers. Nick Glynn said it was important to resist political pressure to give police more powers and kit, which would only add to disproportionality against Black communities.
ACC Dennis Murray said not being over policed, which is workstream two of PRAP, was the biggest driver of mistrust in policing. “If we fix these two the others will come much easier - without building trust the plan fails,” he said. He also called for policing to acknowledge the impact of historic policing practice. Chief Constable Elliot Foskett and Chief Superintendent Jon Cummins agreed with this point, with C/Supt Cummins adding that how we respond to Black victims of crime, getting policing leaders more involved in the plan and getting everyone to understand why PRAP was so important were all crucial steps forward. Chief Superintendent Sarah Johnson, @SJohnsonSupt the delivery lead for PRAP, also said that it was important to focus on what would really deliver change as a priority, alongside regular engagement.
Chief Inspector Rob Budden @RobBudden from Merseyside Police said that anti-racism training for officers designed with the local context in mind was key, while ACC Catherine Akehurst said it was important to involve people from Black communities in the oversight and scrutiny of police powers. “Herts has a Race Inclusion Board with members of black communities as well as use of force scrutiny etc. They really challenge but support positively around organisational and operational issues,” she said.
Jas Kaur, @Kaurbethechange who chairs the National Women of Colour in Policing group, said to ask the community, but also focus on delivery with clear tangible outcomes, adding that policing sometimes risked creating unnecessary big bureaucratic structures.
Dr Alison Heydari said: “The base line criteria for prioritisation has to be that the activity will improve policing for Black people which will make a difference to all communities. Activity should result in change and policing feeling different, with a positive impact on lived experience. Effective stakeholder engagement to understand what matters to Black communities is a key priority to publishing the reiteration of the Police Race Action Plan.”
Q3) What should we do to improve Recruitment and Retention by supporting Black applicants/colleagues better?
This question attracted the most responses of all the questions asked on the day. ACC Dennis Murray reiterated the importance of lived experience, saying the reality of working in policing for many officers did not match the diverse, enlightened organisation they may have believed they were joining. “Policing must ensure that the Race Action Plan activity is lifted from the page and turned into demonstrable action that improves the internal offer. Key to retention,” he said.
Improving police culture and improving retention was also highlighted by Chief Constable Elliot Foskett and Fiona Eldridge @coachfizz from the College of Policing, who said addressing other areas that caused mistrust would also help recruitment and retention from Black communities into policing.
There were calls for more support for staff associations and dedicated teams like WoCiP, positive action units and other groups supporting officers and staff from diverse backgrounds. Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Akehurst called for an individual approach to candidates, saying: “Take time to understand any concerns they have, whether their families/friends have concerns and help work through these with them all. Listen to them as individuals. Don't treat people as a tick box. Provide ongoing support and mentoring. We also need to be mindful that we don't assume black officers/staff want to be turned out as"role models" whenever we do recruitment fairs. Some people just join to work in the police! I remember feeling this as a woman on a leadership development scheme 20 years ago.”
Richard Horton @iofiv said there was no quick fix, adding: “More time , more effort, continual refocus on the task, better pay progression better working conditions, honesty about where we are at any given moment, good Sgts, better Insps, no targets, many routes to entry, early career path choices, Good luck.”
With this, the conversation ended and everything discussed will be considered by the programme team to help shape the plan moving forward. For anyone who wants to learn about the PRAP, visit the plan’s website.

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@BTPChief @KarenFindlayMPS @BTP Congratulations 🥳

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@CC_Foskett @WeCops @A_HeydariMPS @Ron_Lock_ @TVP_ACC I agree, positive action is about support, retention and progression throughout your career. It shouldn't be just a way to encourage candidates to sign up.

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@CSuptJonCummins @WeCops @A_HeydariMPS @TVP_ACC @Ron_Lock_ Excellent, we have some regional events being developed which encompass this, hope to see you at them :) #wecops

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@CC_Foskett @WeCops @A_HeydariMPS @TVP_ACC @Ron_Lock_ Great news :)

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@CSuptJonCummins @WeCops @A_HeydariMPS @TVP_ACC @Ron_Lock_ I agree, what would you like to see to help engage more police leaders at all levels?

[Sarah Johnson @SJohnsonSupt]

@WeCops @A_HeydariMPS @TVP_ACC @Ron_Lock_ Its critical that we maintain a clear view in what will really deliver change across each of the workstreams but with regular engagement to see how these fit with the priorities of Black communities.

[#WeCops @WeCops]

Q2. Which actions should the police race action plan prioritise in the short-term and long-term?

#WeCops @A_HeydariMPS @TVP_ACC @Ron_Lock_

[#WeCops @WeCops]

Q1. What are the blockers preventing Black communities from trusting the police and how can we overcome them?
#WeCops @A_HeydariMPS @Ron_Lock_ @TVP_ACC

[#WeCops @WeCops]

Not long to go! Get your cuppa ready for tonight's #WeCops chat with @A_HeydariMPS @Ron_Lock_ & @TVP_ACC on the Race Action Plan. First question at 9pm!

[#WeCops @WeCops]

Here's the pre-read for the chat on the Race Action Plan tonight at 9pm on #WeCops with @A_HeydariMPS @Ron_Lock_ and @TVP_ACC . Come and join the chat!

https://t.co/218FJNZwja

[Black History Month 2026 @bhmuk]

Detective Superintendent Tanya Wilkins is one of the highest ranking Black female police officers in the North of England. What started as a childhood obsession with American detective TV programmes led to a 22-year career in West Yorkshire Police. @WestYorksPolice #BlackHistory