THE new chief constable of Police Scotland has been urged to improve the force’s racial mix after new data showed less than 1% of senior officers were from an ethnic minority.
The Scottish Liberal Democrats said Jo Farrell should “reflect closely and carefully” on the information when she replaces Sir Iain Livingstone in October.
While around 4.5% of the Scottish population is BAME (Black, Asian, Ethnic Minority), only 1.6% of police officers are and 0.3% are sergeants or above.
The figures have barely moved in the last three years, pointing to an ingrained issue.
In May, Sir Iain said Scotland’s single police force was “institutionally racist and discriminatory” although he seemed to shoulder little of the blame for it.
At a meeting of the force’s supervisory body, the Scottish Police Authority, Sir Iain said: "It is the right thing for me to do, as Chief Constable, to clearly state that institutional racism, sexism, misogyny and discrimination exist.
"Police Scotland is institutionally racist and discriminatory."
The challenge facing Ms Farrell, the current chief constable of Durham Constabulary, is underlined by information obtained by the Scottish LibDems in an FoI response.
Diversity monitoring data for 2021/22 found 276 of Scotland’s 16,808 police officers were BAME - 230 constables and 46 who had attained the rank of sergeant or above.
Among non-BAME police officers, around 22% were sergeant or above, while 17% of BAME officers had been raised in rank.
LibDem justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: “At every level, people from BAME backgrounds are still woefully underrepresented in Police Scotland.
"Not only do these numbers undermine a sense of a fair and equal workplace, but they also create barriers between the police and the communities in which they work.
“It is glaringly apparent that ministers and Police Scotland must do far more to increase diversity in policing. Staff surveys should be regularly on offer so that the service can identify issues early on and root out discriminatory practices and behaviours.
“As Police Scotland comes under Jo Farrell's new leadership, it must reflect on these numbers, closely and carefully, and take meaningful steps to ensure that the police service is as diverse as the public it serves.”
Police Scotland said it had actively trying to recruit more BAME officers.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “The consent, support and cooperation of our fellow citizens lies at the heart of the identity and legitimacy of policing in Scotland.
"To ensure that bond is as strong as possible, we are committed to relentlessly improving how we reflect and represent the communities we serve, and to increasing the number of officers and staff from under-represented groups.
"Inclusion is an operational necessity and morally the right thing to do.
"There are well documented barriers to some people applying to join the police service.
"We therefore established a dedicated positive action team in 2017 to increase the diversity of candidates, including those from BME backgrounds.
"The team runs a number of different recruitment events to answer specific questions from people from diverse communities. This is to make sure everyone has access to the Police Scotland recruitment process.
“Policing is a hugely rewarding vocation and our people can expect a varied career where they can improve people’s lives and share in our mission to safeguard our fellow citizens.
“Racism and discrimination of any kind is deplorable and unacceptable. Our values of fairness, integrity, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights underline that discrimination has no place in society and no place in policing.
"We are committed to ensuring that the culture of Police Scotland is welcoming and inclusive to all and that we support all our people to thrive and flourish in what is an extremely demanding job."
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