In this paper data from a research project about policy and practice for recruitment from ethnic minorities into the police are analysed. It is argued that a significant factor affecting recruitment from ethnic minorities and the work of black and Asian officers is race relations within the police. Many police forces have taken special initiatives to recruit black and Asian people into their ranks. Few forces, however, have taken steps, for example, to monitor their recruitment procedures for any racially discriminatory features; chief officers underestimate the extent and effects of racialist language on serving black and Asian officers. Race relations is not perceived as a key feature of recruitment. By not responding to Home Office and other advice, chief constables have sustained the long-standing employment patterns of black and Asian people. It is argued that a policy of positive action will maximize opportunities to recruit people from these groups into the police. © 1991 The Institute for the Study and Treatment of Delinquency.
