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Police review ethnic recruitment Police review ethnic recruitment
(about 10 hours later)
Police job applications from ethnic minority candidates are being reviewed to see if they were unfairly rejected. A police force has changed the way it deals with ethnic minority applicants after concerns were raised that some could be unfairly rejected.
Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Sara Thornton said the vetting review began in January. In January Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Sara Thornton ordered a review of new applications that fail.
It follows claims that Muslim candidates had been rejected for visiting countries like Pakistan. It follows claims that Muslims had been turned down from the Met Police for visiting countries like Pakistan.
Police have said some people were blocked after spending a considerable time out of the UK - but not because of visits to any specific country. Police said some people were blocked for spending time out of the UK but not because visits to any specific country.
The aim of the vetting procedure is to ensure candidates, their family and close friends have no criminal links. A police spokesperson said proving that is not the case is difficult if applicants had spent a considerable period out of the 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.The spokesperson added that it was this - and not the countries visited - that led to some people being blocked from becoming constables.
The Thames Valley Police announcement comes after Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei told the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee some applicants had been rejected from his force for visiting countries like Pakistan. Chief Constable Thornton made a decision in January to review new candidates that are rejected for spending considerable time outside the UK.
I've taken the view it is really important we find out whether these claims are true or not Sara Thornton, Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police 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 National Black Police Association president, said his own trips to see family there was the kind of thing that might now rule out a candidate because of worries over national security. 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.
Commander Dizaei was giving evidence to the committee in Reading, a town in which he used to work as a police officer. 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.
The chief constable for the area has ordered her deputy to review ethnic minority applicants rejected by the Thames Valley force after the Muslim chairman of her police authority said similar claims were circulating in the Asian community in Reading. 'Utter fairness'
"I've taken the view it is really important we find out whether these claims are true or not," she said."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.""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."