...and highest ranks have fewest minorities

FIVE of the nation’s police forces have only one black officer among their ranks, shocking figures reveal.

Forces in Durham, North Yorkshire, Warwickshire, DyfedPowys and North Wales had only one black officer each as of March last year.

Some 26 of the 43 forces in England and Wales had fewer than 10 black officers, according to Home Office data.

These 26 police forces had just 111 officers who recorded their ethnicity as black or black British, among 46,162 in total.

This excludes other ethnicities, recorded as Asian or Asian British, mixed, Chinese or “other ethnic group”.

The figures show that forces failed to have enough black, Asian or minority ethnicity officers in 2019 to ensure that their workforces were representative of the population.

The proportion of BAME officers in 2019 was just 6.9%, up from 6.6% the year before.

However, around 14% of the

UK population is BAME, according to the 2011 census.

Under-representation was worst among senior ranks, with 4% of those ranking chief inspector or above BAME, compared to 8% of constables.

This is despite then-Home Secretary Theresa May telling chief constables in May 2015 that their forces were too white.

The figures also show many forces are still failing to meet a government target set in 1999 for 7% of officers to be of minority ethnicity by 2009.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for workforce diversity, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, said the proportion of BAME officers was at the “highest ever level”.

But he added: “There is still a long way to go to ensure that policing is truly reflective of the communities we serve.”

The data emerged as the chief constable of England’s second largest police force yesterday apologised for historical discrimination by officers.

David Thompson, of West Midlands Police, said: “Our own history of policing is marked out by discrimination and I wanted to acknowledge that.”