[holding answer 21 October 2008]: The available data are given in the tables placed in the House Library.
The requested data are also published as part of the annual Police Service Strength England and Wales Statistical Bulletin. The 2008 bulletin can be found at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
and previous years' bulletins are available in the House of Commons Library. The annual Home Secretary's Race Employment Targets report may also be of interest in relation to the question asked:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/race-equality-targets-2006-07
[holding answer 21 October 2008]: The available data are given in the following table.
Minority ethnic recruits ME recruits as percentage of total recruits 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Avon and Somerset 2 4 2 4 1 1 5 2 2 3 1 1 Bedfordshire 4 5 12 9 0 10 4 3 11 17 0 13 Cambridgeshire 5 6 6 1 0 0 7 6 6 1 0 0 Cheshire 1 6 0 3 2 0 1 4 0 3 2 0 Cleveland 1 2 2 6 0 0 1 1 2 5 0 0 Cumbria 0 4 1 0 1 1 0 4 2 0 2 2 Derbyshire 6 1 1 3 6 6 4 1 2 5 7 5 Devon and Cornwall 2 2 1 1 0 2 1 2 1 0 0 2 Dorset 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 Durham 0 4 1 1 0 0 0 4 1 1 0 0 Dyfed-Powys 1 0 0 1 2 0 14 0 0 2 4 0 Essex 0 3 7 7 9 10 0 1 3 3 3 4 Gloucestershire 0 3 2 1 1 0 0 3 3 1 1 0 Greater Manchester 2 41 32 11 13 22 2 4 14 4 4 5 Gwent 1 2 0 2 4 0 2 3 0 3 6 0 Hampshire 6 7 5 13 9 4 2 2 2 5 4 2 Hertfordshire 7 14 5 8 6 11 3 5 3 5 3 10 Humberside 1 4 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 Kent 2 4 8 6 8 23 1 1 4 3 3 15 Lancashire 14 15 6 5 11 10 6 5 4 3 7 5 Leicestershire 6 18 6 9 17 13 5 7 5 9 20 13 Lincolnshire 1 1 2 2 0 0 2 2 3 4 0 0 London, City of 4 7 8 3 1 0 9 13 21 7 3 0 Merseyside 3 7 10 7 19 5 3 4 3 4 6 3 Metropolitan Police 305 500 252 166 215 193 13 17 13 16 17 20 Norfolk 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 2 2 Northamptonshire 2 7 6 1 3 5 4 7 6 1 4 6 Northumbria 6 1 2 5 2 1 4 1 1 4 2 1 North Wales 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 2 5 North Yorkshire 2 2 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 1 — Nottinghamshire 6 7 5 2 1 3 7 5 4 4 2 6 South Wales 4 3 3 5 7 2 2 2 3 4 6 4 South Yorkshire 3 9 5 5 7 4 3 3 2 3 4 4 Staffordshire 0 2 3 3 1 4 0 2 3 4 1 10 Suffolk 1 3 0 3 2 1 1 3 0 7 3 7 Surrey 8 3 1 7 19 12 9 3 1 6 12 10 Sussex 0 4 6 7 2 2 0 1 3 3 1 1 Thames Valley 9 20 14 15 12 17 3 4 4 4 5 7 Warwickshire 4 1 5 10 3 0 7 2 8 14 5 — West Mercia 1 2 2 1 2 1 0 2 2 1 2 1 West Midlands 48 49 43 54 35 45 10 12 9 12 8 9 West Yorkshire 12 16 35 8 15 18 4 5 6 5 6 5 Wiltshire 2 5 2 1 0 1 3 4 3 2 0 2 Total 485 795 502 396 441 430 6.5 7.8 6.2 6.1 6.8 7.8 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.