Ethnic minority police to be fast-tracked in face of lack of recruits, says Patel

Home Secretary backs positive action to promote BAME officers and reverse ‘stubbornly slow progress’

ETHNIC minority police officers are to be fast-tracked into top jobs to overcome “stubbornly slow” recruitment, Priti Patel has announced.

The Home Secretary said there was “so much more to do” to increase the number of senior black officers with fewer than one in 20 ethnic minority chief officers and none among the chief constables heading any of the 43 forces in England and Wales.

Although Neil Basu, of Indian heritage, holds the equivalent rank of chief constable as head of counter-terror policing, no ethnic minority officer has led a force since Michael Fuller became the first when he took charge of Kent Constabulary from 2004 to 2010.

Ms Patel told the National Black Police Association: “Progress on the recruitment of black officers has been stubbornly slow and we know we have so much more to do.”

She announced the College of Policing would now develop a new national fast-track route for black and ethnic minority inspectors to gain promotion to superintendent.

She said there would also be an independent review of “gateway” courses and training for senior chief officer ranks to establish what more could be done to combat the lack of progression.

“This will look at how our officers are prepared for senior leadership and why more diverse talent is not yet breaking through,” she said.

She criticised forces for unacceptable variations in the proportions of ethnic minority officers in senior ranks.

“Police bosses vary in how seriously they take this issue. And, of course, that needs to change, immediately. But also it needs to change across the whole of society,” she said. “Diversity does not mean lowering standards – that’s complete nonsense. On the contrary, policing misses out on a big pool of talent when the broadest range of people, irrespective of your background, are not encouraged to join the police.”

Black, Asian and other minority ethnic people (BAME) represent 14 per cent of the population but only 4.7 per cent of chief officers, seven per cent of chief superintendents, 4.5 per cent of superintendents and just over 5 per cent of chief inspectors and inspectors. Of constables, they make up 8.3 per cent.

Ms Patel said the proportion of BAME officers in England and Wales had increased from 4.7 per cent in 2010 to 7.6 per cent in 2021, the highest since records began.

This trend was continuing with more than 11 per cent of officers recruited as part of the 20,000-strong police uplift coming from ethnic minorities.

Certain forces had made substantial gains, such as Greater Manchester Police, Surrey and Nottinghamshire.