NEWS > 23 April 2006

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Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingd
23 April 2006

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Fast-track minorities into for

Police forces should be allowed to fast-track job applicants from ethnic minorities, despite the practice being against the law, a leading officer has claimed.

The Chief Constable of Cheshire, Peter Fahy, is appealing to the Government to change the law on positive discrimination to enable police chiefs to meet tough Home Office targets for increasing the number of black and Asian officers.

Mr Fahy, the head of diversity for the Association of Chief Police Officers, is leading the campaign, with backing from Britain's biggest force, the Metropolitan Police, and from the Commission for Racial Equality.

He admits that it is an "emotive issue" but insists that there are sound operational reasons for seeking to give what would amount to preferential treatment to job applicants from ethnic minorities.

At a high level meeting of chief constables this summer, he will call on colleagues to unite behind his campaign, putting fresh pressure on Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, to act.

But the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said yesterday that positive discrimination "could be counterproductive".

Ministers have so far resisted the proposal for fear that it would be seen as unfair. Under the 1976 Race Relations Act, it is illegal to give preference to a job applicant on the grounds of race.

The dispute comes after Avon and Somerset Police admitted last month that it broke the law when it rejected 186 job applications from white men on the grounds of race and gender. The force agreed an out-of-court settlement with one man, who had filed a claim for sex and race discrimination.

Mr Fahy said: "There is an operational case, in terms of intelligence-gathering and dealing with tensions between communities, that we do need more officers from minority communities."

He gave the example of a Chinese takeaway on his patch, where staff are regularly abused and threatened. He wants to post an undercover officer behind the counter to gather evidence, but cannot do so because he does not have any Chinese officers.

He admitted, however, that the Home Office was resistant to the idea, and said: "I can understand that to some extent. It's an emotive issue. We have not really got across to the public why there is an operational need. The issue is not about lower standards."

In 2004, Hazel Blears, the Home Office minister, told the Black Police Association that she would welcome a debate on the introduction of positive discrimination.

Under Mr Fahy's proposals, a police force recruiting officers would set aside a number of places for ethnic minority candidates, while remaining places would be open to all.

The Home Office has said that by 2009 the ethnic make-up of police forces should reflect that of the populations they serve.

The Met has been told that, within three years, its workforce should go from 7.5 per cent to 25 per cent ethnic minorities.

Police forces currently have a surplus of applications from suitable individuals, so any move to reserve places for non-white applicants would bring disappointment for some well-qualified white candidates.

The Police Federation of England and Wales has called a summit next month to consider alternative ways to increase black and Asian recruitment, stopping short of positive discrimination. Jan Berry, its chairman, said: "There needs to be a serious debate about the ethics of positive discrimination which, in our view, could be counterproductive.

"All officers, including talented black officers, may feel isolated and consider their efforts and promotion undermined should newer colleagues be leapfrogged into the service through preferential treatment and recruitment."

Some organisations have tried to evade the equality laws by placing job advertisements in places where they are more likely to be seen by minority communities, or giving priority to bilingual applicants, who are more likely to come from ethnic minorities.

But Mr Fahy said: "I would rather be open with the public and say that there's a need."

Yesterday the Home Office would not comment, but a source said: "We really don't have any plans at all to introduce positive discrimination. It is not on the agenda."

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Article sourced from

Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingd23 April 2006

Fast-track minorities into for

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Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingd
23 April 2006