Police Scotland seek help from new chief's old force to increase ethnic diversity

Scotland’s single police service has turned to its new chief constable’s former force in an effort to boost the number of black and ethnic minority officers north of the border.

Phil Gormley – who will today be sworn in as chief constable of Police Scotland – was deputy chief constable at West Midlands for three years through to 2010.

Police Scotland recently visited the force, which has the second largest proportion of ethnic minority officers in Britain behind the Metropolitan Police, in a bid to emulate work being carried out.

RELATED CONTENT

Phil Gormley confirmed as new Police Scotland chief constable

Phil Gormley set for face-to-face talks with senior Police Scotland colleagues

Police Scotland urged to step up ethnic recruitment

Police Scotland is now looking to replicate steps taken by the English force, such as a buddying scheme for members of the black and minority ethnic (BME) community considering a career in policing and targeting the most ethnically diverse communities in the force area.

A report published by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland last year warned that progress over the last two decades in increasing the number of black and minority ethnic police officers north of the border has been “remarkably slow”.

The proportion of Scottish police officers from a minority ethnic background rose from 0.3 per cent in 1998 to 1.2 per cent in 2012 - despite the last census putting the minority ethnic population across Scotland at four per cent.

A chief inspector visited the West Midlands in October, sitting down with the force’s ‘positive action’ recruitment team, staff associations as well as BME candidates who made it through their selection process.

Under the Equality Act 2010 employers are able to use ‘positive action’ in recruitment and promotion where it is considered people with a ‘protected characteristic’ are disproportionately under-represented. 

West Midlands Police, the second largest force in England, has introduced a private social networking page for black and ethnic minority members of the public looking to join the police, a set-up Police Scotland is keen to develop.

Black and ethnic minority police officers make up 8.7 per cent of the workforce in the West Midlands, despite representing almost 30 per cent of the local population.

Around one in four applicants in a recent recruitment campaign conducted by the force were BME candidates. However, West Midlands has faced calls to do more after it emerged in April that of the 162 officers hired who started the previous month, just one was black.

It was revealed last month that Police Scotland is reviewing its policy on tattoos as well as fitness tests as it struggles to meet a government target to 1,000 extra officers.

The single force is facing a 30 per cent shortfall in numbers coming through its recruitment process, putting pressure on various parts of the organisation.         

A spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland has a strong relationship with all our communities including Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups and we want to build on that even further.   

“Around one per cent of police officers and Police Scotland staff who chose to disclose their ethnic background are from BME communities.   

“Recruitment for officers is ongoing and BME is one of the under-represented groups being targeted in the current campaign as such recruits have a valuable role to play in this by helping to keep people safe.

“We would encourage anyone considering a career in policing who comes from a BME community to consider that positively.”