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Le Recrutement Ethnique Policier: Une Vieille Preoccupation Anglaise

NCJ Number
198234
Journal
Les Cahiers de la Securite Interieure Issue: 45 Dated: 2001 Pages: 139-159
Author(s)
Damien Cassan
Date Published
2001
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Focusing on the recruitment of ethnic minorities, this article discusses the British police department’s recruitment practices.
Abstract
The British police department’s awareness of the importance of ethnic minority recruitment to the police force is the focus of this article. Arguing that the British police have a long-standing awareness of the importance of minority recruitment, the author claims that the British police force reflects Britain’s political will to create a police force representing the composition of English society while supporting the idea of community policing. This paper contends that ethnic minority recruitment to the British police force is, however, reactive, reappearing on the agenda following serious events such as the 1981 riots or the Steven Laurence affair of 1993. The author stresses that British police efforts towards ethnic minority recruitment experience difficulties that are much more complex than one might initially expect.