§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to encourage homosexual people to join police forces in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [49526]
§ Mr. MichaelThe responsibility for making appointments to the police service in England and Wales lies with the chief constable of each police force. Chief constables, with the assistance of their police authorities, are also responsible for ensuring that their forces represent the community they serve. It is for individual chief constables to decide whether to target certain groups in any recruitment campaigns, and I am aware that a number of forces now place recruitment advertisements in gay newspapers and magazines.
It is important for the police force in any area to reflect the composition of the wider community it serves. This issue was explored in a thematic inspection undertaken by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary last year. The report "Winning the Race. Policing Plural Communities" was published last year and copies are available in the Library.