Black and ethnic minority police officers in Scotland are being let down by an "unfair" system that prevents them from progressing, a senior officer has claimed.

Dilawer Singh, chair of Semper Scotland, which represents ethnic minority police staff in Scotland, made his comments ahead of the 10th anniversary of the landmark report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence in London.

The Macpherson report accused the Metropolitan Police, the biggest force in Britain, of being "institutionally racist", with prejudice and discrimination systemic and widespread.

Mr Singh, who was Scotland's first ethnic minority police recruit when he joined what was then the City of Glasgow force in 1970, said that officers in Scotland were still being denied promotion despite possessing all the necessary qualifications and experience.

He said: "The Scottish police service are always well behind other police forces down south. They can say they have moved on, but we still don't have any ethnic minority senior officers. There has to be a reason for that."

Just one force in Scotland - Lothian and Borders Police - has an ethnic minority officer of superintendent rank or higher, while Strathclyde Police's highest-ranking ethnic minority officer is a sergeant.

Mr Singh said: "The system is quite clearly unfair. Progress has been made with recruitment, but even when you recruit people, if they don't see a role model they will leave, and that often happens.

"When you see people who are well qualified, who have got a lot of experience and who have passed exams, and nobody looks at them for progression, we have to make changes.

"People have done what they could, seen that they're not getting on, and in that position the easiest thing to do is to leave. Massive steps need to be taken."

Yesterday UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the Met was no longer institutionally racist, but he admitted pockets of racism still existed.

He told the BBC's Politics Show: "If you ask me if I believe it's perfect as an institution and that black and Asian people, and indeed women, have the same opportunities in practice as white males, I think the answer is probably not in some areas."

A-level student Stephen, 18, was stabbed to death by a racist gang as he waited at a bus stop in south-east London in 1993. Retired High Court judge Sir William Macpherson delivered a damning assessment of the Met, and his work is seen as a defining moment in race relations which had widespread ramifications for other police forces.

A decade later, senior officers continue to struggle with the challenges of eradicating lingering discrimination.

A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland said: "The police service strives to be a leader in promoting diversity, and addressing racism remains a priority. The issue of recruiting people from our broad and diverse ethnic background is a challenge.

"It is a known fact there is a gap between the make-up of our community and the make up of our force, but it is a problem we are addressing."

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