Ethnic minorities still underrepresented in Bedfordshire Police

Although the force says it's been proactive, it admits more needs to be done
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People from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds in Bedfordshire continue to be underrepresented by their police force despite the recruitment of more than 100 new officers.

The National Black Police Association (NBPA) says police forces need to show more ambition in recruiting officers from BAME backgrounds, while the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) accepts "much more needs to be done".

Home Office data shows Bedfordshire Police recruited 111 new officers in the nine months to the end of 2020.

Although the force says it's been proactive, it admits more needs to be doneAlthough the force says it's been proactive, it admits more needs to be done
Although the force says it's been proactive, it admits more needs to be done

But of the 108 new recruits who declared their ethnicity, 10 were BAME.

It leaves Bedfordshire Police with 126 BAME police officers overall, accounting for 9.8 per cent of the 1,286 officers whose ethnicity was recorded.

That is despite BAME people accounting for 22.5 per cent of the population served by Bedfordshire Police, according to mid-2016 population estimates – the latest to have an ethnicity breakdown.

Chief Superintendent Karena Thomas, head of Bedfordshire Police’s workforce and development, said: “The priority of our force is to ensure that we develop our workforce inclusivity and true representation of the county we serve. We are continuing with ongoing recruitment and are here to support people from across all of our communities.

“The force has been proactive in this regard, and this has resulted in us being among the top forces in our percentage of BAME police officers, however we know we still have much to do to ensure we become fully representative.

“Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we are having to work differently to create opportunities to raise awareness, and we are always open to contact from any communities or individuals to ensure that Bedfordshire is a place where every person can see themselves in the force that serves them.

“We recently appointed PC Mohammad Ali into our attraction & engagement team, with a real focus and drive around positive action and support, and he is working with our diverse communities to raise awareness of the careers in policing, and share the opportunities in working for the force.

“The creation of PC Ali’s role will enable us to work alongside, and within our local communities, which is so important in building the confidence of the public, and for those who see a role for themselves in delivering a policing service for every resident of Bedfordshire.”

Last year a study by the Police Foundation think-tank found more people from Asian and mixed ethnic backgrounds had increased, but black representation in police forces had “barely increased”.

And the NBPA president, Andy George, said the association remains concerned over the make-up of police forces in relation to the communities they serve.

He said: "The recent uplift in police recruitment has shown some improvements in this area but we would like to see a more ambitious drive to increase the number of officers and staff members from BAME backgrounds."

The NPCC said forces across the country have set action plans to ensure recruitment attracts people from minority ethnic backgrounds.

A spokesperson added: "We are actively engaging with communities who are currently underrepresented in policing to understand the barriers and address any misconceptions."

Meanwhile, policing minister Kit Malthouse said police forces are "more diverse than ever before".

He added: "The recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers presents a once in a generation opportunity to ensure they are even more reflective of the communities they serve.”

The Government's police recruitment campaign was launched in October 2019, with each force handed a target for the first phase ending in March this year.

Bedfordshire Police recruited 212 officers between November 2019 and December last year, the figures show.

Allowing for leavers, the overall uplift over the period was 54, meaning the force has already reached its first phase target as of the end of 2020.