Police Recruitment (Ethnic Minority) (Hansard, 27 July 1982)

§ Mr. Whitelaw

A study group was set up in March in response to Lord Scarman's recommendation that an urgent study should be made of ways of improving ethnic minority recruitment to the police.

I received its report last week and I am grateful to the members of the study group for its help. The study group has made detailed recommendations designed to increase the number of black and Asian applicants for appointment to the police service and the special constabulary and to ensure that the selection procedures do not present disproportionate obstacles to such candidates. They do not recommend changes in the entry qualifications but they identify positive steps which can be taken by forces to attract suitably qualified applicants from the minority communities and to help those who narrowly fail to meet the entry standards.

I have accepted those recommendations which call for action by my Department. I shall commend the other recommendations to police authorities and chief officers of police when copies of the report are sent to them. Copies of the report will also be sent to community relations councils by the Commission for Racial Equality. A copy is being placed in the Library of the House.

	Bury travel-to-work area	North-West region	South-East region	United Kingdom
1979
March	2,680	200,168	292,358	1,402,254
June	2,768	200,701	265,885	1,343,865
September	2,970	206,962	280,876	1,394,526
December	2,860	199,301	267,640	1,355,458
1980
March	3,258	218,607	292,423	1,477,961
June	4,509	251,326	322,147	1,659,676
September	5,591	300,137	421,738	2,039,476
December	6,047	322,415	469,723	2,244,229
1981
March	6,907	352,600	533,900	2,484,700
June	7,671	386,327	583,278	2,680,470
September	8,397	428,234	684,055	2,998,789