The Recruitment of Ethnic Minority Communities

Researchers

Imran Awan, Brian Blakemore, and Kevin Simpson

Background

Birmingham City University Criminology lecturer, Dr Imran Awan and two lecturers from the University of Glamorgan, Brian Blakemore and Kevin Simpson have carried out a research study on the reasons behind the lack of ethnic diversity in the police force. This research was conducted by holding focus groups and in-depth interviews with the Muslim and Hindu communities, including groups, group leaders, youths, females and Imams who lived in Birmingham and Cardiff.

Results

The researchers discovered that the Muslim community, amongst other ethnic communities, didn’t trust the police. From their interviews and focus groups it was found that the Muslim communities in Birmingham had a negative view of the police and stated that they perceived the police as a ‘closed shop for white males’. However some of the Muslim parents interviewed believed that a career in the police force was ‘honourable’ and would encourage their children to become a police officer.

In contrast they found that the Hindu community in Cardiff trusted the police more but didn’t think that the police force was very professional due to low entry requirements and low standards. This is mainly because the College of Policing only ask for A-levels rather than degree level.

The research reached the verdict that counter-terrorism policing and stop and search is problematic for ethnic communities as it contributes to the lack of trust. They also came to the conclusion that the police need to try harder to recruit people from more diverse backgrounds and must do better to understand the ethnic minority communities to rebuild their trust.