Chapter Three: Black and Minority Ethnic Representation in Policing in England and

Wales

3.1 Introduction

This chapter examines the recruitment of ethnic minorities in the police service. In particular,
it will explore issues of institutional racism within the police service and the under
representation of ethnic minorities. The MacPherson inquiry cited institutional racism as a
core factor in the discriminatory treatment of BME communities. Police have been directed to
recruit more officers from ethnic minorities for an estimated four decades. In 1965 ethnic
minorities constituted approximately 2 percent of the British population, yet there were only
three ethnic minority part-time constables present in the whole country at that time (Skolinck,
1975, p. 48). As well as examining the history of underrepresentation this chapter will
consider what can be done to resolve these issues. In addition to this, this chapter will further
highlight recommendations made by both Scarman and Macpherson within their reports. It is
essential that police officers try to build a confident and trustful relationship with ethnic
minority communities, so they feel more comfortable joining police service.

Scarman was appointed by the government to investigate the disorder in 1981. Although
Scarman rejected the suggestion that the police service was institutionally, systematically,
racist he did find evidence of a few officers, whose behaviour was occasionally racist.

The Scarman report (1981) warned that the Metropolitan Police did not reflect the
surrounding population. He also highlighted that insensitive and inappropriate behaviour of
police officers led to a breakdown of relations between the police and minority officers. This
was perceived as one of the main reasons why ethnic minorities were not willing to be part of
the organisation. The Scarman report argued that the structure of our police force must reflect
the make-up of the society they serve in, which it did not at that time. It was though that,
recruiting more BME officers could build trust and a positive relationship between the
communities and police force which had been bitter for years. Following the report
publicized by the Home office in 1982, only a small number of forces began to develop
recruitment initiatives. The report suggested recruitment of BME groups was crucial as police
and BME communities did not have good relations at that time and recruiting individuals
from those groups would develop trust and can lead to better communication between the
groups as well as police. However, it also stated in the Scarman report that the front-line staff
was deliberately racially prejudged and ill-considered. Some might argue that this is because
these officers were not trained to deal with ethnic minorities. It shows how ethnic minority
communities were treated at that time, which therefore harmed the relationship between these
communities and the police service (Rowe, 2007).Racism within the police force towards
BME officers was one other main reason why individuals from BME groups were not
recruited within the police force, and those who were recruited later claimed they were
discriminated and treated unjustly.

The Scarman report highlighted two crucial aspects of the policing society: These include
balance and consent as well as independence and accountability. These factors were
highlighted by Scarman as necessary to ensure that police the service operated not only
within the law but also with the support of the community(Bowling and Phillips, 2002).
Scarman argued that there are various ways to increase recruitment from ethnic minorities.
These include : visible and committed police policy, unique initiative as well as support from
the elders of black communities (Holdaway, 1991).He argues that the main aim of this was to
avoid black officers feeling as they entered this organisation as a second-class recruit.

Following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, the Macpherson inquiry in the 1990s highlighted
the issues of institutional racism within the police, which needed to be addressed to avoid
further damage between them and BME communities. Eighteen years after the Scarman
Report, the Macpherson report highlighted the issue of institutional racism. One of the
significant issues highlighted by Macpherson as a reason why the police were institutionally
racist was the ongoing failure of the police to recruit and encourage more ethnic minorities to
join. The MacPherson report highlighted that racism could also take more of a subtle form
which can be as damaging as others. Therefore, the Macpherson inquiry accepted that the
action of these organisations could be racist despite their intention. This can lead to low
results in ethnic minority recruitment. The investigation highlighted recruitment as one of the
significant issues which needed to be solved. The inquiry suggested police set targets to
increase the recruitment as well as retention of BME officers. If the police service sets targets
and tries to achieve those targets by encouraging BME groups to join police service, this
would then have a sportive impact and will be build strong relations between police service
and BME communities. However, despite these recommendations, Stone, who had been a
member of the original MacPherson inquiry, suggested that the police service had not done
enough to recruit from ethnic minority communities. He moreover argued, "police have not
moved when it comes to racism at all. “He recommended that targeting misconduct, and not
promoting the police service as a career option to ethnic minority communities has led to the
underrepresentation of ethnic minorities within the police service. Therefore, it is crucial that
police service sets immediate measures to recruit more people from BME communities.

In contrast to this, Nick Herbert (the former policing minister) argued, "Equality has always
been vital for policing," and therefore, over the decades the, police service has made quite a
few improvements to recruit individuals from BME communities (Awan, Blakemore and
Simpson, 2013).

3.2 Barriers to Recruitment

The under-representation of ethnic minorities within the police force have various reasons,
both a shortfall in applications, as well as a lower proportion of BME individuals, being
successful in the recruitment process. Banton (1994) explains that indirect discrimination
plays a considerable role in under the recruitment of ethnic minorities police service. Indirect
discrimination occurs due to policies which unintentionally disadvantage the members of
ethnic minorities. Due to this institutional racism enters the picture. For example, in previous
years police forces in England Wales had a minimum height limit for recruits. This,
consequently, was a particular disadvantage for Asian people for example, whose height is
usually less than five feet eight inches which were the requirement for police service.
Consequently, this could have been a reason for under-recruitment from Asian-British
communities. Banton argues that police had institutionalized a rule which was physically and
sexually discriminatory (Holdaway, 1996).

Whitfield (2004) argues that throughout the twentieth century there is clear evidence that
police officers have harassed BME communities and have never responded adequately to
racist violence. This, hence, had a significant impact on BME communities and be the reason
for under-recruitment from BME groups (Brown, 2014).

Stone and Tuffin (2000) in their qualitative study on ethnic minorities' attitudes towards a
police service career highlighted various negative issues that were associated with joining the
police service. Those include having to work in a racist environment, denial of cultural
identity, sexism, isolation as well as a perception that promotion aspects would be quite
weak. These negative factors play a considerable part in undermining ethnic groups from
joining the police force (Bowling and Phillips, 2002).
Wilson and Holdaway (1984) which examined the factors that prevented the recruitment of
ethnic minorities in the police force. The study consisted of the interviews with black and
Asian officers serving in seven constabularies. These individuals were interviewed, and over
the half, officers interviewed state that they had been subject to name calling which to other
officers was general banter. This study highlights how ethnic minority officers were treated
by their colleagues at the time. This clearly shows the reason for under recruitment of ethnic
minorities in the police force. If ethnic minority officers are not treated appropriately within
the police force, this will be viewed by other community members and the rest of the black
and Asian population which can put them off from joining police service.

Stone and Tuffin (2000) conducted a Home Office report which analysed the attitudes of
black and ethnic minority communities. This report found that these individuals believed that
working in a quality workplace was more important to them than their earnings. The report
further highlighted that although the participants agreed that this role could be quite
rewarding, they had concerns about racism in the workplace. The report stated that other jobs
were thought to offer these individuals greater opportunities mainly in terms of promotion
and pay without any fear of racism within the workplace or any danger to them. Therefore,
this highlights that BME communities do not feel safe working with the police service due to
their attitudes towards them. Stone and Tuffin (2000) highlighted that overall, the participants
felt that career options within the police service were quite weak and questioned the attitudes
of police officers towards ethnic minorities (Awan, Blakemore and Simpson, 2013).

One of the major reasons for the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities within the police
service is the salary. The Home Office report (2012) states that police officers from ethnic
backgrounds were paid less than other police officers. The report further states that this shows
"that white males have been the largest groups which have been paid maximum, and the force
has the majority of white male officers." It can also deter individuals from ethnic
backgrounds from joining the police (Awan, Blakemore and Simpson, 2013). Holdaway and
Spencer (1984) similarly reported that that current ethnic minority officers might be
unwilling to recommend the police service to recruits because of the difficulties that they
might be facing or have faced in the past. In addition to this, Holdaway and Spencer (1984)
argued that the negative perception that ethnic minorities have police service had an impact
on police service to recruit more ethnic police officers (Bowling and Phillips, 2002). Research
interviews conducted by Holdaway (1991) about experiences of police employment and
recruitment policies. Black and Asian constables were clearly against the recruiting strategies
taken by police service to recruit ethnic minorities. Against in what sense? What were the
recruiting strategies? What did they oppose? Why? The study highlights that the officers were
against the special recruitment procedures in place for ethnic monitories.

The study conducted by Awan, Blakemore, and Simpson in 2011 to investigate views within
the Muslim community regarding choosing a career in the police service found that the
Muslim community replied in quite a “homogeneous” way. The study interviewed 20 people
aged between (15-and 30 years old) from two Muslim communities (Pakistani and
Bangladeshi) in Birmingham (UK). It included community leaders, mosque representatives,
and female groups. The participants indicated a lack of trust and raised issues against the
police service. They stated that the police service is a racist organisation that has failed to
engage with Muslim communities. Due to bad experiences with police officers, Muslim
communities had a negative perception of the service overall. They responded that the police
service should work more actively with BME communities, which would build trust and
improve the image of the service overall. The participants further stated the police service
should use community policing as a way of reaching out to "hard-to-reach groups." It could
improve recruitment issues within the police service, while people from the BME
communities would be more likely to apply for careers within the police service (Awan,
Blakemore and Simpson, 2013).

3.3 Addressing underrepresentation of BME officers in the police

There have been multiple practical efforts to encourage individuals from ethnic minorities to
join the police service.

Scarman advised more recruitment of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds. As well
as this, the Scarman report further highlighted that there were no specific measures carried
out to attract individuals from ethnic minorities to join the police force. This, consequently,
shows why there has been under the recruitment of ethnic minorities in the police service.
Due to the recommendations made by Scarman Home office in (1982) in their report
suggested that senior officers are responsible for ensuring that Black and Asian officers are
treated same as white officers by their colleagues as well as the supervising officers
(Holdaway, 1991).

Some of which included targeted recruitment campaigns with the assistance of community
organizations and contacts. In addition to this, there were also access courses and placement
schemes .These courses introduce individuals from BME communities to police force and
provide them with application forms in "minority languages"(Holdaway, 1991). However,
Wilson, Holdaway, and Spencer (1984) argue that all these efforts were permanently ruined
because applicants focus on their experiences of racism with police officers. This
consequently can be seen as a significant issue of under-representation of ethnic minorities in
police service. Moreover, the public also considers the discrimination that they might face as
a minority in police service which consists of traditional white and male-dominated hierarchy
(Bowling and Phillips, 2002).

Since the publication of the MacPherson Report, the Black Policing Association (BPA) has
gained influence throughout the constabularies within the UK. These groups began to form in
the UK in the mid-1990s and mainly consist of informal, voluntary support groups that exist
to support officers and other police staff from ethnic minority backgrounds (Holdaway and O'
Neill 2004). These groups also work with Chief Officers to address issues of ethnic diversity
to ensure there are no issues within the communities. You could see if there is any useful
literature here on the additional labour involved for ethnic minorities in doing this
‘diversity work.' The issues are discussed both with public and police to avoid any
misunderstanding between both. In addition to this, BPA is also involved in local
communities with a high minority ethnic population to develop relationships between them
and the police force. They are taking part in events which spread the message of recruitment
for the police force and helping to create a bond between citizens and the police.

Nevertheless, although those groups have existed for more than 20 years under recruitment
and representation of ethnic minorities is still one of the significant issues within the police
service. This issue can be due to various reasons. Although the groups are there to support
people from BME communities to join the police, they are mainly voluntary organisations.
They are not provided with enough facilities or are encouraged as much for the work they do
(REFERENCE).

Some of the other measures that have been currently used by the police to recruit more BME
groups include "Positive Action." This measure is used to encourage more BME groups to
join; it includes talent management schemes which mainly aim to promote BME candidate
and enhances awareness and generates their interest in police service. (Gareth subs
dissertation)

One of the most common types of an initiative undertaken has been the participation of ethnic
minority officers in the recruiting activities. This process was bought mainly to provide
senior officers as well as recruiting staff with valuable information and guidance on which
strategies work the best to recruit black and Asian individuals. Moreover, the presence of
ethnic minority officers in a force which serves particularly in an area with small ethnic
minority population is quite notable as it can bring change within and beyond the force's
organisational boundary. The presence of the ethnic officers can help change the public's view
of ethnic minority officers and get to know them more. It can also have a decisive role in
encouraging individuals from BME groups to join the service (Holdaway, 1991).Waddington
(1999) suggested increasing BME recruitment by tackling the "white male"-driven culture.
He argues that this requires cultural change. Moreover, this can be done by educating officers
on other cultures and their values (Awan, Blakemore and Simpson, 2013)

There has been various ethnic minority recruitment initiative which has developed rapidly
within the British Police. Therefore, to end the racism within the institutions such as the
police force, it is essential to set up new arrangements to recruit more ethnic officers for our
diverse society

West Midlands Police, who serve quite a relatively large number of Asian and black
population, planned to carry out various initiatives including an educational access course to
teach individuals and guide them towards a career in policing, street- to- street leafleting
campaigns as well as meetings at community centres which were mainly used by Black and
Asian people. Likewise, Leicestershire Constabulary ran a yearlong recruitment campaign
which included meetings, television broadcasts as well as public meetings. Due to the
initiatives, both these forces showed a vast number of increases in their number of Asian band
black recruits. However, despite this general progress in the recruitment of ethnic minorities
groups have been quite low (Holdaway, 1996).

Due to the Home Office's recommendation for direct recruitment into the police service with
higher level education for higher management roles., some might argue this is not
institutional racism as Virdi (2009) discusses that education influences recruitment. Virdi
implies that there is a higher percentage of BME minority recruits than non-minority
graduates within the police service. Hence, he asks whether raising the educational status of
police officers could attract more individuals from BME groups.

Contrary to this, Stone (2009) suggests that school qualifications should not be the reason for
individuals to not being police constables. However, Stone argues that this should be
available for individuals with a high degree who would like higher-ranking roles as this could
attract more people.

Waters (2007) describes the process of the hierarchy system that those with better/higher
qualifications for senior ranks as a "power vacuum." He argues this can harm ethnic
minorities as they will be limited to bottom level roles (Awan, Blakemore and Simpson,
2013).

4.4 Conclusion

Holdaway (1991) argues that numerous people forces have developed initiatives to increase
the recruitment of ethnic minorities with the service. He further explains that if all the
initiatives regarding recruitment procedures and strategies are followed the police force
should be able to increase the number of BME recruits in future. BME communities will be
even more encouraged when the see ethnic officers patrolling the streets therefore it is
important that police service follow the set rules, and strategies to increase the number of
ethnic officers within the police. Increase in recruitment is a key aspect to end racism within
police (Holdaway, 1991).
BIBLOGRPAHY

Awan, I., Blakemore, B. and Simpson, K. (2013). Muslim communities attitudes towards and
recruitment into the British police service. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 41(4),
pp.421-437.

Bowling, B. and Phillips, C. (2002). Racism, crime and justice. Harlow: Longman.

Brown, J. (2014). The future of policing. London: Routledge.

Holdaway, S. (1996). The racialisation of British policing. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire:

Holdaway, S. (1991). Recruiting a multi-racial police force. London: H.M.S.O.

Rowe, M. (2007). Policing beyond Macpherson. Cullompton, Devon, England: Willan Publishing.