Promoting Equality in the Police within the Eu
| Author | Norman S.J. Baxter |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X9707000208 |
| Published date | 01 April 1997 |
| Date | 01 April 1997 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
INSPECTOR NORMAN S.J. BAXTER, BA (Hans), MA
Royal Ulster Constabulary, Northern Ireland
PROMOTING EQUALITY IN THE
POLICE WITHIN THE EU
Continuing financial constraints within the public sector and a declared
government ethos of "value for money" within the United Kingdom, have
forced senior managers within the police service to closely scrutinize their
budgetary expenditure. Personnel are the biggest single pressure on
finances within the police service. Some 80 per cent of the money allocated
to police forces is utilized on salaries for police and civilian staff, including
training and other ancillary costs.
People are the most valuable resource that an organization has - this
is especially true in a public service such as the police where the public
demand a high degree of professionalism and commitment from all officers.
It
is therefore essential that the police service maximize the potential of all
their employees. In order to attain this, proper employment procedures must
be put in place to ensure equality in the workplace for all. This applies both
to potential recruits and to those in the service who place themselves before
selection panels for promotion or appointment to specialist branches.
Within this context, senior management within the police service have to
take note of the implications of the United Kingdom's membership of the
European Union. Membership of Europe has for many years greatly
influenced employment practices, but the pace of change in this area of
community law has increased following the ratification of the Maastricht
Treaty. Police personnel managers must therefore have a good
understanding of the historical and contemporary significance of our current
membership of the European Union.
Promoting the political objective of a united Europe, rather than the
protection and development of the rights of workers, was the main priority
of the architects who formulated the concept of the European Community
(Nugent, 1994). The European Economic Community (EEC) was initially
formed as a customs union and internal trade area within Western Europe
(Deakin and Morris, 1995).
It
was brought into existence through a
multilateral treaty between the sovereign governments of the original six
member states who signed the EC Treaty at Rome in 1957 (Lasok and
Bridge, 1991). The EEC Treaty was the culmination of a movement
towards international cooperation with Europe (Steiner, 1994).
However, the economic aspects of the Treaty impacted upon a wide
variety of social and economic activities within the member states. This
included the mobility of people within the community, along with the living
and working conditions of workers (Paisley, 1987). Article 117 of the 1957
EEC Treaty stated:
"Member states agree upon the need to promote improved working
conditions and an improved standard
of
living for workers ... They
April 1997 The Police Journal 135
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