Bolster diversity by valuing skills

Re. “Ethnic diversity poses challenge to police; initiative to recruit from different communities shows mixed results,” Sept. 23

It will be tough for the Edmonton Police Service to increase diversity if it insists on maintaining a Eurocentric culture in management practice and procedures. Supt. Mark Neufeld could not have illustrated the problem more plainly: “We need people who are critical thinkers, who can think on their feet, who write well, who communicate well and we expect people to do that in their second language.”

In other words, the EPS wants ethnically diverse recruits to possess and value skills that reflect the values and comfort zones of the white male elite. Unless the EPS is prepared to value the gifts and perspectives of non-caucasian people (and women, by the way), they won’t make a lot of progress on this file.

Sometimes the “way we’ve always done it” can be improved by fresh perspectives and approaches. Rev. Brian Kiely, Edmonton