Leaders: Police long way off reflecting diversity

Police have a lot to do to reflect ethnic diversity. Picture: TSPL

ONE of the key features of last year’s independence debate was economic growth which, according to the Yes side, would be boosted by increased migration. Scotland would welcome an influx of migrants, in contrast to the rest of the UK where there were calls for tighter controls.

Judging by figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats on the tiny representation of ethnic minorities in the police force, Scotland has a long road to travel before such an open-arms policy would lead to the required integration. Just 1 per cent of the staff at Police Scotland, and only two of the 446 most senior officers, identify as black, Asian or minority ethnic. For a public sector organisation serving a population with 4 per cent from ethnic minority groups, these figures are an embarrassment, if not a complete surprise. With only 175 black, Asian or ethnic minority officers in Scotland, very few of us will ever have set eyes on one.

One of the hoary old chestnuts about recruitment in the police – and the armed forces – has always been that ethnic minorities did not want to be associated with organisations which represent state authority. In 2015, no-one can still believe in this tired old excuse. It is more likely that the continued impression of the police as an unreconstructed relic of the 1970s and 80s owes its existence to the failure of the force’s recruitment policy. If suitable candidates are not coming to the police, the police have to go out and find them. Without a strong pro-active approach on this front, the imbalance will perpetuate.