'No discrimination' over police applicants - mayor

A newspaper article claiming West Yorkshire Police had temporarily blocked job applications from white candidates was "incredibly misleading", the county's mayor has said.

The Daily Telegraph article said the force used "positive discrimination" to boost the number of people from under-represented groups in the ranks as only 9% of its officers were from ethnic minority backgrounds.

But West Yorkshire Police denied this and said it was using "positive action" to encourage people from such backgrounds to complete an application at any time, which was then held on file until a recruitment window opened.

Mayor Tracy Brabin told the BBC: "There is no discrimination against white applicants at all."

Ms Brabin said the West Yorkshire force was "just trying to widen the net of applications. The best person for the job will always get the job".

The Daily Telegraph article, published last Wednesday, also contained quotes from a whistle-blower reportedly involved in looking at job applications who had raised concerns over the policy with the force's bosses but was allegedly warned not to pursue the matter.

In a statement, West Yorkshire Police addressed "inaccuracies" in the article, saying no interviews were held until a recruitment window was opened to all candidates.

"Enabling people from under-represented groups to apply early does not give them an advantage in the application process", a force spokesperson said.

"It simply provides us with more opportunity to attract talent from this pool of applicants."

West Yorkshire's Chief Constable John Robins said in 2023 that he did support positive discrimination in recruitment because there were "systemic issues around applications".

He told the BBC that while there should be "no change in standard", candidates from under-represented groups should "move forward" ahead of their white peers.

In their latest statement, the West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the force was "committed to improving equality, diversity and inclusion within the organisation".

The West Yorkshire force was striving to be "more representative of the communities we serve", they said.

Currently 23% of people in West Yorkshire identify as being from an ethnic background.

Meanwhile, on the recruitment page of the force's website, it said: "We will always employ the best person for the job, who meets the required standard during both at the assessment and during the interview process, regardless of how they describe themselves on their application form."

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Ms Brabin said she welcomed the opportunity to "put the record straight" following social media comments and what she described as the Telegraph's "very misleading" headline referring to a "block" on white applicants.

"People get upset about that," she said.

"They feel they're being left out and left behind and their kids won't get that chance. That is not true."

Ms Brabin said: "There is no discrimination against white applicants at all."

The police "should represent the people they serve - that's how you get trust and confidence", she explained.

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