Police recruitment drive targets minority groups

A new round of police recruitment adverts, designed to encourage more interest from women and ethnic minorities, has been unveiled today.

The latest stage in the 'Could you?' campaign includes a TV advert featuring Lisa Potts, the nursery school teacher who was seriously injured whilst protecting her class from a machete-wielding attacker in 2001. A previous ad featuring Lennox Lewis will run alongside the new one.

Despite the numbers of women and ethnic minority officers increasing over the last decade, both groups are still massively under-represented - only 19% of officers are women while only 2.9% are from minority ethnic communities.

There will also be supporting adverts on radio and in newspapers that will focus on "myths and misconceptions" about the police force. They include details about increased flexibility, more inclusive fitness tests and positive promotion prospects in the force.

Launching the campaign, Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said: "We have one of the best and most highly regarded police services in the world, yet we need to encourage more women and minority ethnic people, from all walks of life, to see the police force as a real and achievable career choice where they can excel and succeed."

The 'Could You?' campaign, the Home Office said, has boosted recruitment since its launch in 2000. At the end of August there were 136,386 police officers in England and Wales, the highest number since records began in 1921, and over 9,000 more than in 1997.

(gmcg)