Major UK police force accused of 'blocking white applicants' to boost diversity
10 April 2025, 12:39
A UK police force has reportedly placed a temporary block on applications from white British candidates in a bid to boost diversity.
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West Yorkshire Police (WYP), one of the UK’s largest forces, is allegedly preventing white British candidates from applying as recruits in its constable entry programmes as it looks to attract “under-represented” groups instead.
Those deemed to be from “under-represented” groups can lodge their applications early, the Telegraph reports.
It has led to concerns that the Force is treating some candidates unfairly and using so-called positive discrimination to diversify its staff.
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The WYP has rejected these claims and said the policy is to ensure the Force reflects the diverse communities it serves.
However, one former officer told the Telegraph that the policy essentially amounts to a “hidden” plan to target certain groups.
They told the publication that recruits are ranked from “gold to bronze”, sometimes based on their ethnic background.
The whistleblower alleged that non-white candidates were given “gold” while those who chose “white others”, including those from Irish and eastern European backgrounds, were branded “bronze”.
The whistleblower claims to have raised these concerns to the force’s top brass but was told “not to interfere.”
A report seen by the Telegraph read: “This feeds into a general theme where the pipeline for anyone white British is strangled, whilst anyone not white British is ushered through onto the next available stage.”
The WYP admits on its website that, because of the stark lack of ethnic minority officers, it must accept applications “all year round from these under-represented groups” while others have to wait until the “recruitment process is open”.
The website states: “We are currently accepting applications for the two police constable entry programmes (uniform and detective) from people from our under-represented groups... If you are not from one of these groups, please keep checking this page for future recruitment opportunities.”
According to the Telegraph, the Force would back jobs until candidates they deemed under-represented applied.
One lawyer told the publication that while the use of positive discrimination is allowed in the United States, it is prohibited in the UK.
They described delaying job applications until underrepresented applications appeared as falling into a “legal gray area.”
Unnamed officers in the Force added that some jobs were labelled H, meaning hidden, on the recruitment system, meaning only those told about the job through a positive action scheme could apply.
One whistleblower added: “The use of hidden vacancies marked on the internal computer systems was intended to ensure non-white people apply. You can’t see these jobs online. You can only know about them after you’ve been emailed by the Positive Action Team.”
They claim that when they approached management about their concerns, they were told “do what you’re told.”
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “The most recent census found that 23 per cent of people in West Yorkshire identified as being from an ethnic minority background. Our current police officer representation from ethnic minority backgrounds is around nine per cent. To address this under-representation, we use Positive Action under the Equality Act 2010.
“Our use of this was recently reviewed by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services in an Activism and Impartiality inspection, and no issues were identified.
“Positive Action allows people from under-represented groups who express an interest in joining the force to complete an application, which is then held on file until a recruitment window is opened.
“No interviews are held until the window is officially opened to all candidates.”
