 Kingston University’s black and ethnic students “have no desire” to pursue careers in the police, a Riveronline survey revealed yesterday.
Forty of the fifty students interviewed for the survey dismissed the police as a possibility after university. Just four of the students who took part said they would even consider a career in the force. One of the interviewees, Dalton Worrell, a finance student in his final year originally from the Dominican Republic, said: “I want to get a job in the city when I graduate. That’s going to be tough in the current market but there’s no way I’d enter the police. The idea just doesn’t appeal to me at all.” The results come despite a starting salary for graduates in the Met of £28,497 which would rise on completion of the initial 31 week training period to £31,068. The results of the survey support information obtained under the Freedom of Information act which reveals that Kingston Borough Police Force is failing to meet the Met Police’s target quota for officers from black and ethnic origins. The Borough force currently employs just 18 police officers of black and ethnic origin, 6.21% of the total, leaving it more than 2% shy of the Met’s 8.5% target in an area where minority groups make up 15.5% of the Borough’s population. Chief Inspector for Kingston Police John Pendleton said: “We have quite a large ethnic community in Kingston so obviously we want that to be represented on the force. The numbers are lower than we would. However it is largely out of our hands as the officers are recruited centrally by the Met.” The Met received a total of 16,929 applications last year for positions across the force, almost a third of which came from ethnic minorities. However, in the case of Kingston at least, that has not translated itself into positions on the force. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “There are a million and one reasons why more black and ethnic applications aren’t successful. If more black people are unemployed then clearly you are going to get more applications in, not all of which will be up to the standards required. Another reason is maybe those that applied are younger and haven’t gained enough experience. At the end of the day you can’t employ people who aren’t capable of doing the job regardless of race.” A recent commission report produced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission said that progress had been made in the last ten years on recruitment, training and employment of ethnic minority staff but indicated that more work needed to be done. Spokesperson Victoria Burton said: “Progress has been made but there are still not enough minorities in the Metropolitan Police Force despite the massive efforts to recruit more. There are issues around retention and career prospects which may put off potential recruits. Many specialist units still appear to be “closed shops” and this may put off potential recruits while black and ethnic minorities are also seven times more likely to be stopped and searched which may also be prohibitive.” The application process itself has also been cited as a possible reason for the lack of black and ethnic police officers on the beat. The mentally and physically demanding process takes nine months in total and a further two years of training before recruits can become fully fledged police officers. Kingston Racial Equality Commissioner John Azah said: “It is possible that there are disparities between people who apply and become officers because of the changes people experience when they go and apply for the job. A number don’t survive because it’s a change in culture for them. What police have to do is give them a coping mechanism for when times get tough during the process. They need mentoring.” However, there are a number of other careers available within the police beyond becoming a police officer including a number of administrative positions. Black and ethnic minorities make up 9.1% of the overall staff with the Kingston Police force, a figure which compares “favourably” with other Met forces.
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