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This page contains press release 64/03, in which the MPA responds to the call form the BPA for black and ethnic minority recruits not to join the Met.
Warning: This is archived material and may be out of date. The Metropolitan Police Authority has been replaced by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC).
See the MOPC website for further information.
MPA responds to BPA call for black and ethnic minority recruits not to join the Met
64/03
17 September 2003
Responding to the BPA’s comments, Toby Harris, Chair of the MPA, said:
"The Metropolitan Police Authority has set challenging black and ethnic minority recruitment targets and the positive contribution of the BPA and other groups, together with the MPA, in moving the Met forward cannot be over emphasised.
“At the end of July 2003 black and ethnic minority officer strength had increased by 60% over the last three years to 1651 officers or 5.7% of overall police strength. In addition, there were 2224 black and ethnic minority police staff in the Met (19.6% of the total), 274 black and ethnic minority Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) (34.9% of the total) and 106 black and ethnic minority traffic wardens (16.7% of the total).
“The contribution to recruitment and retention issues that the BPA have made both nationally and in London cannot fall by the wayside. Whilst we were disappointed by the tone of recent comments we hope they were made in the heat of the moment. We need to work together to address all the salient issues and ensure that lessons are learnt. One of the published aims of the BPA remains to assist recruitment and reduce staff wastage. Great strides have been made in the last three years in recruitment and retention in a wide variety of minority communities. Currently the MPA and Met support a number of staff groups representing Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and many others, of which the BPA was the first.
“At Hendon training college, community and race relations training is embedded into the recruit-training programme. These measures should auger well for the future.
“The MPA is committed to building a police service for London that truly reflects our capital’s diversity. It is vital we continue to improve the trust and confidence of both black and ethnic minority staff in the Met, as well as the trust and confidence of the public in our communities.”
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