According to the Home Office only 2% of the total officers in the 43 forces were from ethnic minorities, with 87% of them holding the lowest rank of constable.

Only a tiny minority of black officers hold senior positions

There were 2,520 ethnic officers at the end of March this year despite pledges by chief constables to improve the situation following the upheaval within the service because of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report.

A total of 25 ethnic officers were working for two crack units, the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the National Crime Squad, Britain's equivalent of the FBI, which together employed nearly 1,600.

Home Secretary Jack Straw told chief constables in April that they should recruit 8,000 officers from ethnic minorities within 10 years.

The Metropolitan Police needed to find another 5,662 officers from ethnic minorities even though the force was going through a recruitment crisis, partly blamed on the high cost of living in the capital.

Glass ceiling

Robyn Williams, of the Black Police Association, said the statistics gave a false picture because the number of ethnic officers had been affected by a recruitment freeze across many forces.

Police failings in the Stephen Lawrence inquiry have helped to spur a race review

She said the problems were greater after black officers had joined the service.

"There is great emphasis and investment made in recruitment and selection, but we're not doing the same thing to improve the working environment.

"The critical phase is two to five years and they will be leaving in droves again.

"Unless the supervisors are taught anti-discrimination, black officers are supported and mentored, it will be a false economy."

There is only one assistant chief constable drawn from the ethnic ranks, Tarique Ghaffur of the Lancashire force, but no female ethnic officer has risen above the rank of chief inspector, the bulletin revealed.

The Home Office figures, which charted recruitment changes between April 1998 and March 1999, showed a cut in total strength of 718 officers to 126,096 across the 43 forces.