Male Officers Win Tribunal After Being Replaced to Improve Gender Balance

Two male police officers were unlawfully discriminated against on the grounds of gender after being removed from their roles and replaced by female officers, an employment tribunal has ruled.

Suffolk Constabulary reassigned the two men from its proactive policing team in an effort to improve "gender balance", despite being advised that the move was discriminatory. The force has since accepted that "this was not the right way to go about it" following the tribunal's decision in favour of the officers.

At the time, the team was made up entirely of male officers after a female colleague voluntarily left to pursue another role. Rather than filling the vacancy, the force chose to remove the two men and replace them with female officers, citing "operational reasons linked to gender balance".

The tribunal heard that the decision-maker was aware the action amounted to discrimination and had been warned of this by Human Resources, but proceeded regardless. In its judgment, concluded on January 9, the tribunal found the officers had been subjected to unlawful direct discrimination on the basis of sex, contrary to the Equality Act 2010.

Emma Arthurs, Suffolk Police Federation (SPF) representative and equality lead, who supported the officers throughout the case, said it should never have escalated to this point.

"SPF exists to represent all of its members, and when members feel they have been directly discriminated against, we will support them and ensure their voices are heard," she said.

Ms Arthurs stressed that the ruling should not be used to criticise the force, but rather as a chance to work together to improve decision-making and workplace culture.

"We always want to work constructively with Suffolk Constabulary to help it be as efficient, fair and effective as possible. Good corporate governance and robust decision-making are at the heart of that," she said.

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

She added: "We welcome discussions with the force going forward to ensure lessons are learned and similar situations are avoided. This decision sends a clear message to our members: we are here to stand up for you and ensure fairness for all. Discrimination of any kind has no place in policing."

A spokesperson for Suffolk Constabulary said: "We acknowledge and accept the tribunal's judgment and findings, and we look forward to working with our Police Federation and Unison colleagues to ensure 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. However, in this instance, the force recognises that this was not the right way to go about it, and we will carefully reflect on that."

The Johnson Partnership, Nottingham