Police review ethnic recruitment

A police force has changed the way it deals with ethnic minority applicants after concerns were raised that some could be unfairly rejected.

In January Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Sara Thornton ordered a review of new applications that fail.

It follows claims that Muslims had been turned down from the Met Police for visiting countries like Pakistan.

Police said some people were blocked for spending time out of the UK but not due to visits to a specific country.

A police spokesperson said proving that candidates, their family and close friends have no criminal links is difficult if applicants had spent a considerable period out of the country.

We don't think there has been a problem in the past Thames Valley Police spokeswoman

The spokesperson added that it was this - and not the countries visited - that led to some people being blocked from becoming constables.

Chief Constable Thornton made a decision in January to review new candidates that are rejected for spending considerable time outside the UK.

The move came after Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei told the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee that applicants from ethnic minorities had been rejected from the Met Police for visiting countries including Pakistan.

The Iranian-born officer, who is the National Black Police Association president, said his own trips to see family there were the kind of thing that might now rule out a candidate because of worries over national security.

Chief Constable Thornton's policy was brought in after a Muslim member of the Thames Valley Police Authority said similar claims to the ones made by Commander Dizaei were circulating in Reading's Asian community.

'Utter fairness'

"I've taken the view it is really important we find out whether these claims are true or not," she said.

"Since the beginning of the year, my Deputy Chief Constable has been looking at all the vetting decisions of prospective officers from black and ethnic minority backgrounds to try to ensure utter fairness."

A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman added: "We don't think there has been a problem in the past.

"We've been doing this as a matter of course since January.

"The Deputy Chief Constable reviews applications on an individual basis to make sure they're not being rejected for unfair reasons because perhaps they've spent time abroad, such as visiting family."