Posted on 09/21/2006 7:16:52 PM PDT by Pontiac
A police force has admitted breaking the law with a secret policy of 'deselecting' more than 100 potential recruits for no other reason than being white men.
Humiliated Gloucestershire Police said it had been trying to 'advance diversity' when it rejected the 108 men in favour of women and ethnic minority candidates.
• More: WPC banned from walking her beat because there's no pavement
But Chief Constable Dr Timothy Brain's force confessed it had acted unlawfully by dashing the men's dreams because of their sex and skin colour.
It agreed to pay one of the snubbed men, 30-year-old Matt Powell, £2,500 in damages.
The tribunal said the force had been 'at the very least disingenuous and at worst misleading'. It could spark a barrage of further claims, each of which would be settled from police funds drained from local taxpayers.
Mr Powell, who has wanted to join the police since he was a child, said: 'I didn't come here for the money. I just want to be heard.
'I firmly believe a wrong has been done here. I was, I still am, desperate to be a police officer and they have unfairly discriminated against me.'
Critics seized on the ruling as further evidence of the way 'political correctness' has taken charge of the police and other public bodies.
The force was under pressure to meet a Government target of ethnic minority recruits making up seven per cent of force strength by 2009.
At the time, they made-up only 1.6 per cent, forcing senior commanders to take desperate - and illegal - measures.
Last night Tory police spokesman Nick Herbert said: 'All forces should strive as representative as possible of the community they serve, but positive discrimination is not the way.
'This approach only costs taxpayers money in the end.'
Police advertised for recruits last year, without admitting they were intending to discriminate against white males.
IT worker Mr Powell, along with the 107 other men was told he had made it through to the second round of the recruitment process.
But, two months later, they received letters stating they had been 'randomly deselected'. No explanation was given by recruitment officials.
It has since emerged the police had taken the decision to deselect the men as part of an 'advance diversity' drive. Every one of the 129 female and ethnic minority candidate who applied was accepted, along with 63 white males who escaped the illegal cull.
Police only came clean following an investigation by the Commission for Racial Equality and the Equal Opportunities Commission, yesterday's employment tribunal was told.
Gordon Ramsey, head of human resources at Gloucestershire Police, told the hearing: 'We were trying to advance diversity in the force and we thought at the time that this was lawful, positive action.
'When we found out after an independent investigation that it wasn't lawful, we accepted that. We apologise for the distress caused to Mr Powell and the other candidates.'
Clive Toomer, chairman of the tribunal, said the £2,500 - which will be paid by the tax-payer - was for 'injury to feelings'.
He said: 'We accept the respondent Gloucestershire Police was at the very least disingenuous and at worst misleading during the early stages of the application.
'We accept Matt Powell was entitled to feel angry and distressed at the way he was treated.' His solicitor Nigel Tillott said: 'The impact of this is it is now clear how far public authorities can go in positive discrimination.
'What they cannot do is discriminate against white males when it comes to job applications. Gloucestershire Police have admitted they were wrong.'
Gloucestershire is the second force to fall foul of race relation laws, which allow for 'positive action' to boost the number of ethnic minority candidates but not discrimination.
Avon and Somerset were also embroiled in a 'race row' claim after it rejected 186 white applicants at the first stage of selection.
In November 2005 the force received 800 applications for just 180 jobs. The force admitted they also deselected the applicants in a bid to increase its ethnic diversity.
Avon and Somerset Police Chief Constable Colin Port admitted he had 'over-stepped the mark.'
The Police Federation believes other forces are guilty of operating similar policies, but have yet to be found out.
Yesterday's ruling paves the way for any white male who believes he has been discriminated to go to tribunal, provided they have proof against their force.
The seven per cent target for ethnic minorities was drawn up after a public inquiry found the 1993 murderers of black student Stephen Lawrence had evaded justice, in part because of institutional racism among officers.
At the time of its 'de-selection' policy, just 2.8 per cent of Gloucestershire's population was from an ethnic minority, according to the 2001 census, compared to an average of 8.7 per cent across England and Wales.
Only 21 of its 1,313 officers were from ethnic minorities, or 1.6 per cent.
On the other hand, Je$$e Jack$on must be thrilled...
Extraordinary. Out of 129 politically correct applicants, they didn't turn down a single one? No wonder the British police are no longer capable of rational law enforcement.
I think that it is more likely that Too many years of liberal government is to blame for that.
No, I think he will be ticked off that the courts ruled that it was illegal to "randomly deselect" the white males.
Have a look at The University of Colorado and Ward Churchill and you might get a good idea.
What's the matter you got something against Jack Booted Thugs?
Yup, that would be me.
I miss the days of either uniforms or business suits.
Our military doesn't even do the face-mask thing.
BTTT
Well think of that FBI agent in the famous picture of Elian Gonzales being “liberated” from his American Family.
After that picture took on a life of its own, how many times do you think he has been stopped on the street and thanked for his noble service?
Not many cops are going to want to repeat his experience.
A friend of mine wanted to get into Michigan law school ... had a 4.0 during school but was denied admission because she was white and they hadn't filled their black quota ....
The names are very similar to CORE and EEOC,yeah states and countries copy each others programs, saves them time and money .
That's not true. We used Nomex hoods, like seen there, when doing VBSS (Vessel Boarding, Search and Seizure) operation back in the early 90's, and I am quite sure that other SOC units use them as well, today.
Of course our targets were terrorists and their ilk; not common criminals, and the occasional innocent civilian.
With this kind of ineptitude in practice every day across the nation, might I suggest buying lots of guns and ammo ASAP.
Why Nomex?
I am in a fire brigade and we use those for protection from heat. They are very warm to wear, great insulation material.
I would think you would want Kevlar or a similar material to protect from edged weapons.
American socialist always want to emulate they great socialist countries of Europe.
Why I will never know most of those countries are a bigger mess than the US; slower growth, more unemployment, long waits for heath care.
What is it that they find appealing?
Well, that's a good question, and one that I believe Ward Connerly also asks.
Thanks for clarifying that.
However, I still don't like face masks, battle gear and armament on domestic police forces in every little town in America.
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