THE Surrey Police Association of Culture and Ethnicity, more commonly known as SPACE, has been acknowledged at the prestigious Personnel Today Awards for excellence in Human Resources.

SPACE was announced as one of the finalists in the diversity and inclusion category for its Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) mentoring scheme which aims to support the recruitment of BME applicants, guiding them through the application process.

SPACE is working with the force to increase representation by implementing positive action to attract, develop and promote officers from diverse communities.

This includes engaging with the community through schools, holding a SPACE conference, the BME mentoring scheme, and partnering with colleges and universities to support BME candidates.

Hermann Trepesch, chairman of SPACE, said: “It’s a real honour and encouragement for the future to be recognised for our efforts. We will continue to work towards maintaining an inclusive organisation.”