Affirmative Action

Police forces in England and Wales should actively recruit black officers in an effort to deal with crime more effectively within ethnic minority communities, a senior sergeant has argued.

The suggestion from Keith Jarrett of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) would require a change in the law as it is currently illegal under the Race Relations Act to bias recruitment to favour one race or ethnicity.

Mr Jarrett has been a long time proponent of affirmative action, arguing last year that the "woeful" under-representation of minorities in the force legitimised a change in the law to allow constabularies to specifically recruit black officers.

He said then only 3.7 per cent of the police force are black, and it would take 30 years for the force to be fully representative.

Again this weekend, Mr Jarrett stole headlines by suggesting that stop-and-search be increased to target minorities in an effort to tackle gun and knife crime, a strategy he claimed black communities were compelling him to do.

Black people are already six times more likely to be stopped by the police according to Home Office figures, and Mr Jarrett's statement was accordingly met by concerns over racial profiling.

Speaking yesterday at the NBPA annual conference on the subject of affirmative action, he said: "If you need black police officers, then what is the point of putting someone else there who wouldn't understand?

"The status quo is not getting us the results we need. It takes bravery to do something that is unpopular. People are saying, 'I want to see someone who looks like me'."

His comments have already been dismissed by Home Office minister Tony McNulty and Metroploitan Police Chief Sir Ian Blair, who both question the policy of advancing people on the basis of race rather than merit.

Politics.co.uk brings you the key quotes and reactions...