Police squads are 'closed shops'

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Not enough members of ethnic minorities are rising through the police ranks, according to a report which says that progress is being made in recruitment.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said there was a particular problem in being offered the chance to work on specialist squads.

It said robbery, anti-terrorist and firearms units were seen as a "closed shop" available if your "face fits".

The report looked at police attitudes since the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.

On Monday the commission will publish the major review of the police's attitude towards race and efforts to stamp out racism, carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and called Duty Calls.

'Old-fashioned'

It has found good progress in employing more ethnic minority officers but identified shortcomings in promoting them up the ranks.

One black officer recalled applying for a job as a race and diversity trainer with one of the country's largest police forces.

He told the commission that the head of equality and diversity training had said of his appointment: "That's good, I got my black one."

Later, on learning that the black officer was gay, the same man said: "You haven't got a wooden leg, have you? Then you'd have the full set."

The commission said there was a belief that specialist squads are dominated by white middle-aged men, mired in a Life On Mars-style "canteen culture".

Ethnic minority recruits say they are put off by a perceived "work hard, play hard, hard drinking culture" and "old-fashioned working practices" in the specialist teams.

In the report the police service is criticised for the disproportionate number of black men whose details are recorded on the DNA database.

'Canteen culture'

It also criticises the fact black people are still seven times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people.

The National Policing Improvement Agency also comes in for criticism for failing "to properly demonstrate how it is monitoring the police's performance on race issues".

John Wadham, the commission's group director, said there "are many good examples from forces across England and Wales of initiatives which we would like to see implemented at a national level".

He added: "However there are still worrying areas which the police need to address - such as changing the 'canteen culture' and properly monitoring stop and search and the DNA database - if they are to continue to make improvements."