Posted on 11/28/2005 5:46:05 PM PST by blam
Not wanted: white male police
By Richard Savill
(Filed: 29/11/2005)
A police force was warned yesterday that it may have acted illegally by rejecting 186 job applications from white men in favour of those from women and ethnic minorities.
The Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, accused Avon and Somerset of positive discrimination in a recent recruitment drive. It claimed that the force turned down some strong candidates on grounds of race or gender.
A spokesman for the force said that all successful applicants had undergone the "same rigorous selection process".
When the recruitment process opened last summer, 242 white men were put forward, 40 per cent of the total, with the rest from under-represented groups, including women, people from minority ethnic groups and disabled men and women.
The force confirmed the majority of the rejected applications were white males.
Paul Hazel, Avon and Somerset's head of personnel and training, said: "The majority of those deselected were white men because the force's workforce is over-represented by white men."
However, Andrew Palfreman, the chairman of the local Police Federation branch, said: "What we want, and what I am sure the public wants, is for the force to have the best possible candidates.
"Our view is that they are denying access to the recruitment process to some very strong candidates purely on the grounds of their gender and ethnicity. It is unfair and may be illegal."
He said the force was right to try to encourage ethnic diversity, but this was not the best way to achieve it. Mr Palfreman added that the issue had been raised with the chief constable, Colin Port.
Avon and Somerset has 3,314 officers, 2,622 of whom are male, and 51 are from ethnic minorities.
The force's recruitment policy states: "We will continue to provide positive action for people from under-represented groups."
The Commission for Racial Equality said that it would like to see the force's recruitment policy. "Under the Race Relations Act 'positive discrimination' or shortlisting or appointing on racial grounds is unlawful."
Well, if the majority of males paying taxes are white, will they start refusing taxes from them too? No? Thought so.
I think all da white mans should go on strike!
Explain to me, please, what use a disabled cop is, at least as far as walking the beat, collaring criminals, and all those basic cop functions go? And I've never seen how a woman cop will be as good as dealing with a 200-pound, drug-crazed thug than a male cop.
You miss the point - in the liberal PC mind, anyone can do any job. Remember - liberalism is a mental disorder. So folks like this, though maybe well-meaning, are out of touch with reality.
What do you expect? Its a GOVERNMENT JOB! The politicians use these as a means to give work to their supporters. Should we not be surprised that they use AA to have a "representative" police force?
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