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Police: Ethnic Groups

Volume 457: debated on Monday 5 March 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people classified as being from an ethnic minority were recruited for the post of (a) police officer, (b) police community support officer and (c) special constable by police in each of the last five years; and what percentage of the police work force this represented in each case. (121850)

The available data for 2002-03 to 2005-06 inclusive are given in the tables.

Police community support officer minority ethnic recruits1 to police forces from 2002-03 to 2005-062 (FTE)3 and recruits as percentage of total strength

2002-03

2003-04

Minority ethnic recruits

Total strength

Minority ethnic recruit (percentage)

Minority ethnic recruits

Total strength

Minority ethnic recruit (percentage)

Avon and Somerset

0

0

0

45

0.0

Bedfordshire

0

0

1

12

8.3

Cambridgeshire

0

6

0.0

0

57

0.0

Cheshire

0

2

0.0

0

50

0.0

Cleveland

1

37

2.7

0

77

0.0

Cumbria

0

0

0

0

Derbyshire

0

0

0

0

Devon and Cornwall

0

19

0.0

0

51

0.0

Dorset

0

6

0.0

0

8

0.0

Durham

0

10

0.0

0

28

0.0

Essex

1

10

5.3

0

86

0.0

Gloucestershire

0

0

3

54

5.6

Greater Manchester

13

160

8.1

1

173

0.6

Hampshire

0

0

0

0

Hertfordshire

1

14

7.2

1

46

2.2

Humberside

0

0

0

0

Kent

0

0

0

59

0.0

Lancashire

1

77

1.3

0

110

0.0

Leicestershire

1

28

3.6

6

41

14.6

Lincolnshire

1

29

3.4

0

38

0.0

London, City of

0

0

0

0

Merseyside

2

40

5.0

0

72

0.0

Metropolitan Police

132

513

25.8

368

1,463

25.2

Norfolk

0

12

0.0

0

33

0.0

Northamptonshire

1

12

8.3

0

10

0.0

Northumbria

0

0

1

51

2.0

North Yorkshire

0

0

0

52

0.0

Nottinghamshire

0

10

0.0

2

56

4.4

South Yorkshire

0

14

0.0

1

59

1.7

Staffordshire

0

0

1

7

13.5

Suffolk

0

0

0

15

0.0

Surrey

0

21

0.0

2

56

2.9

Sussex

0

22

0.0

1

83

1.2

Thames Valley

0

0

0

7

0.0

Warwickshire

0

11

0.0

1

25

4.0

West Mercia

0

8

0.0

1

57

1.7

West Midlands

0

0

4

39

10.3

West Yorkshire

5

70

7.1

12

265

4.5

Wiltshire

0

15

0.0

0

23

0.0

Dyfed-Powys

0

0

0

5

0.0

Gwent

0

30

0.0

0

45

0.0

North Wales

0

0

0

0

South Wales

0

0

5

59

8.5

England and Wales

159

1,176

13.5

411

3,418

12.0

2004-052005-06

Minority ethnic recruits

Total strength

Minority ethnic recruit (percentage)

Minority ethnic recruits

Total strength

Minority ethnic recruit (percentage)

Avon and Somerset

0

139

0.0

0

130

0.0

Bedfordshire

4

40

10.1

1

41

2.4

Cambridgeshire

2

86

2.3

3

101

3.0

Cheshire

1

52

1.9

0

75

0.0

Cleveland

0

75

0.0

0

100

0.0

Cumbria

0

17

0.0

0

17

0.0

Derbyshire

4

43

9.3

0

42

0.0

Devon and Cornwall

0

74

0.0

0

74

0.0

Dorset

0

47

0.0

2

61

3.3

Durham

1

69

1.4

0

67

0.0

Essex

6

179

3.4

0

192

0.0

Gloucestershire

2

72

2.8

0

72

0.0

Greater Manchester

2

269

0.7

2

251

0.8

Hampshire

0

26

0.0

0

30

0.0

Hertfordshire

2

98

2.0

1

139

0.7

Humberside

1

20

5.0

0

20

0.0

Kent

2

105

1 .9

0

97

0.0

Lancashire

1

161

0.6

3

184

1.6

Leicestershire

7

103

6.8

9

136

6.6

Lincolnshire

0

75

0.0

0

78

0.0

London, City of

3

14

21.4

1

11

9.1

Merseyside

2

170

1.2

1

196

0.5

Metropolitan Police

247

2,147

11.5

152

2,315

6.6

Norfolk

3

68

4.4

1

65

1.5

Northamptonshire

2

37

5.4

0

40

0.0

Northumbria

2

126

1.6

1

129

0.8

North Yorkshire

0

75

0.0

0

71

0.0

Nottinghamshire

3

108

2.8

0

112

0.0

South Yorkshire

3

124

2.4

0

121

0.0

Staffordshire

3

63

4.8

1

70

1.4

Suffolk

0

34

0.0

0

30

0.0

Surrey

2

115

1.7

2

126

1.6

Sussex

4

228

1 .8

0

257

0.0

Thames Valley

6

98

6.1

7

130

5.4

Warwickshire

0

56

0.0

1

64

1.6

West Mercia

0

81

0.0

0

85

0.0

West Midlands

19

219

8.7

9

252

3.4

West Yorkshire

7

394

1.8

7

462

1.5

Wiltshire

0

41

0.0

0

57

0.0

Dyfed-Powys

0

25

0.0

0

26

0.0

Gwent

0

77

0.0

0

76

0.0

North Wales

0

59

0.0

0

58

0.0

South Wales

3

107

2.8

0

111

0.0

England and Wales

344

6,214

5.5

204

6,769

3.0

1 Recruits included those officers joining as Police Standard Direct Recruits and those who were previously special constables. This excludes police community support officers on transfers from other forces and those rejoining.

2 Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Data are not available prior to 2002-03.

3 Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Police officer minority ethnic recruits1 to police forces from 2002-03 to 2005-062 (FTE)3 and recruits as percentage of total strength

2002-03

2003-04

Minority ethnic recruits

Total strength

Minority ethnic recruit (percentage)

Minority ethnic recruits

Total strength

Minority ethnic recruit (percentage)

Avon and Somerset

2

3,160

0.1

4

3,417

0.1

Bedfordshire

4

1,119

0.4

5

1,199

0.4

Cambridgeshire

5

1,391

0.4

6

1,412

0.4

Cheshire

1

2,137

0.0

6

2,204

0.3

Cleveland

1

1,592

0.1

2

1,697

0.1

Cumbria

0

1,154

0.0

4

1,241

0.3

Derbyshire

6

2,010

0.3

1

2,084

0.0

Devon and Cornwall

2

3,215

0.1

2

3,311

0.1

Dorset

1

1,422

0.1

1

1,453

0.1

Durham

0

1,662

0.0

4

1,701

0.2

Essex

0

3,007

0.0

3

3,120

0.1

Gloucestershire

0

1,237

0.0

3

1,298

0.2

Greater Manchester

2

7,391

0.0

41

8,111

0.5

Hampshire

6

3,707

0.2

7

3,780

0.2

Hertfordshire

7

1,977

0.4

14

2,117

0.7

Humberside

1

2,123

0.0

4

2,231

0.2

Kent

2

3,488

0.1

4

3,621

0.1

Lancashire

14

3,380

0.4

15

3,579

0.4

Leicestershire

6

2,147

0.3

18

2,300

0.8

Lincolnshire

1

1,236

0.1

1

1,241

0.1

London, City of

4

811

0.5

7

856

0.8

Merseyside

3

4,112

0.1

7

4,129

0.2

Metropolitan Police

305

28,231

1.1

500

30,035

1.7

Norfolk

2

1,509

0.1

0

1,524

0.0

Northamptonshire

2

1,222

0.2

7

1,261

0.6

Northumbria

6

4,018

0.1

1

4,061

0.0

North Yorkshire

2

1,452

0.1

2

1,534

0.1

Nottinghamshire

6

2,426

0.2

7

2,507

0.3

South Yorkshire

3

3,194

0.1

9

3,307

0.3

Staffordshire

0

2,224

0.0

2

2,286

0.1

Suffolk

1

1,258

0.1

3

1,314

0.2

Surrey

8

1,933

0.4

3

1,942

0.2

Sussex

0

3,037

0.0

4

3,090

0.1

Thames Valley

9

3,899

0.2

20

4,103

0.5

Warwickshire

4

1,000

0.4

1

1,011

0.1

West Mercia

1

2,267

0.0

2

2,365

0.1

West Midlands

48

7,832

0.6

49

8,008

0.6

West Yorkshire

12

5,037

0.2

16

5,313

0.3

Wiltshire

2

1,169

0.2

5

1,225

0.4

Dyfed-Powys

1

1,156

0.1

0

1,167

0.0

Gwent

1

1,347

0.1

2

1,376

0.1

North Wales

0

1,553

0.0

0

1,625

0.0

South Wales

4

3,269

0.1

3

3,312

0.1

England and Wales

485

132,509

0.4

795

138,468

0.6

2004-052005-06

Minority ethnic recruits

Total strength

Minority ethnic recruit (percentage)

Minority Ethnic Recruits

Total Strength

Minority ethnic recruit (percentage)

Avon and Somerset

2

3,398

0.1

4

3,439

0.1

Bedfordshire

12

1,232

1.0

9

1,225

0.7

Cambridgeshire

6

1,418

0.4

1

1,449

0.1

Cheshire

0

2,207

0.0

3

2,218

0.1

Cleveland

2

1,689

0.1

6

1,702

0.4

Cumbria

1

1,260

0.1

0

1,265

0.0

Derbyshire

1

2,082

0.0

3

2,073

0.1

Devon and Cornwall

1

3,399

0.0

1

3,540

0.0

Dorset

0

1,475

0.0

0

1,512

0.0

Durham

1

1,738

0.1

1

1,716

0.1

Essex

7

3,230

0.2

7

3,322

0.2

Gloucestershire

2

1,308

0.2

1

1,303

0.1

Greater Manchester

32

8,119

0.4

11

8,071

0.1

Hampshire

5

3,803

0.1

13

3,800

0.3

Hertfordshire

5

2,145

0.2

8

2,166

0.4

Humberside

0

2,252

0.0

0

2,232

0.0

Kent

8

3,630

0.2

6

3,648

0.2

Lancashire

6

3,585

0.2

5

3,635

0.1

Leicestershire

6

2,311

0.3

9

2,277

0.4

Lincolnshire

2

1,234

0.2

2

1,236

0.2

London, City of

8

881

0.9

3

875

0.3

Merseyside

10

4,339

0.2

7

4,302

0.2

Metropolitan Police

252

31,073

0.8

166

30,948

0.5

Norfolk

0

1,554

0.0

0

1,575

0.0

Northamptonshire

6

1,289

0.5

1

1,338

0.1

Northumbria

2

4,088

0.0

5

4,066

0.1

North Yorkshire

0

1,561

0.0

0

1,653

0.0

Nottinghamshire

5

2,522

0.2

2

2,512

0.1

South Yorkshire

5

3,307

0.2

5

3,305

0.2

Staffordshire

3

2,309

0.1

3

2,302

0.1

Suffolk

0

1,323

0.0

3

1,307

0.2

Surrey

1

1,959

0.1

7

1,967

0.4

Sussex

6

3,094

0.2

7

3,127

0.2

Thames Valley

14

4,189

0.3

15

4,288

0.3

Warwickshire

5

1,012

0.5

10

1,040

1.0

West Mercia

2

2,380

0.1

1

2,385

0.0

West Midlands

43

8,154

0.5

54

8,192

0.7

West Yorkshire

35

5,671

0.6

8

5,685

0.1

Wiltshire

2

1,229

0.2

1

1,230

0.1

Dyfed-Powys

0

1,183

0.0

1

1,194

0.1

Gwent

0

1,438

0.0

2

1,467

0.1

North Wales

1

1,676

0.1

0

1,634

0.0

South Wales

3

3,316

0.1

5

3,303

0.2

England and Wales

502

141,059

0.4

396

141,523

0.3

1 Recruits included those officers joining as Police Standard Direct Recruits and those who were previously special constables. This excludes police officers on transfers from other forces and those rejoining.

2 Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Data are not available prior to 2002-03.

3 Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.