NEARLY half of the nation’s police forces have fewer than ten black officers — and one area has none at all.
There are just 1,838 black officers out of the 146,442 in England and Wales.
Cleveland, in North Yorks, has no black officers, while the Dorset, North Wales and Durham forces each have just one.
And 20 of the 44 regional forces have fewer than ten black officers.
The Home Office data shows black, Asian and ethnic minority officers make up 8.5 per cent, even though they represent 18 per cent of the nation’s population.
A decade ago, then-Home Secretary Theresa May criticised forces for not being representative of their communities.
Of England and Wales’ 1,838 black officers, 1,247 work for the Metropolitan Police and 113 are in the West Midlands.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission said: “Not only is it important for police forces to reflect the diverse communities they serve, they also have a legal duty to promote equality.
“Our aim is to create workplace cultures that make the services safe and free from discrimination, harassment and victimisation.”
“The Met’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dr Alison Heydari said:
“The proportion of officers from ethnic minority backgrounds remains at its highest level since records began, while the number of black officers is up by 16 per cent over the past five years.
“Forces have strategies to encourage black people into policing.
“But we still have a long way to go.”
Nearly half of the nation’s police forces have fewer than ten black officersAlamy Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
