West Yorkshire Police, one of the UK's largest forces, has temporarily blocked applications from white British candidates in an effort to boost diversity.
The force is currently preventing white British candidates from applying for jobs as recruits to its police constable entry programmes, while "under-represented" groups can submit their applications early.
This policy has sparked concerns that white British candidates are being unfairly treated, potentially amounting to a form of positive discrimination that could be unlawful.
WYP has defended the approach, stating it ensures "diverse communities" are represented by the officers serving them.
This policy has sparked concerns that white British candidates are being unfairly treated
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Former officers have accused the force of effectively running a "hidden" recruitment policy targeting certain groups.
A whistleblower, who was heavily involved in sifting job applications, told The Telegraph that black and far east Asian candidates were given a "gold" ranking, followed by those of south-east Asian origin in the "silver" tier.
"White others", including Irish and eastern European backgrounds, were classified as "bronze".
A WYP spokesman however denied the claim and argued that the support offered to candidates - regardless of gold, silver or bronze structure - was offered to all candidates, regardless of their ethnicity.
The whistleblower reported to senior officers that "the pipeline for anyone white British is strangled, whilst anyone not white British is ushered through".
His analysis showed that over a 15-month period, ethnic minority candidates had 446 days to apply for vacancies, while white British applicants had just 99 days.
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In one instance, white British candidates were given only 48 hours to submit applications for entry-level positions.
When raising concerns with management, the whistleblower claims he was told to "do what you are told".
A WYP spokesman said: "During December 2022 the recruitment forecast was changed which resulted in the general recruitment window only being opened for a short period of time in order to manage candidate numbers."
Police officers who worked in the recruitment department told The Telegraph that entry-level vacancies were marked with an "H" for "Hidden" on the force's computer system.
This meant jobs were initially only open to ethnic minority candidates, becoming available to white British applicants much later.
A WYP spokesman stated: "Applicants who were able to submit an early expression of interest were recorded on the system as ‘H’ to ensure they were held back from interview until the general recruitment window was open."
The whistleblower claimed ethnic minority candidates were assigned officers from the Positive Action Team (PAT) who mentored them through recruitment.
He alleged PAT officers conducted interviews and that over a three-month period, not a single ethnic minority applicant failed the interview process.
A WYP spokesman denied the claim: "Between June 2022 and November 2022 nearly 200 ethnic minority applicants got rejected at various stages of the application process, from shortlisting to interview."
The whistleblower reported witnessing PAT members "greeting candidates with unprofessional hand clasps and hugs" and telling them "don't worry, you've already passed and this is just a formality".
Former officers have accused the force of effectively running a 'hidden' recruitment policy targeting certain groups
GETTYCandidates who failed assessments were reportedly "put on hold" rather than rejected, and invited to be appraised a second time.
A WYP Spokesman said: "Any applicant who fails the national assessment is provided with the opportunity to re-take it. The same opportunity is shared with every applicant, regardless of their ethnicity, by the College of Policing."
WYP employs 19 diversity, equality and inclusion staff at a cost of over £1million annually, reportedly more than any other force in the country.
On its website, WYP acknowledges the lack of ethnic minority officers, stating it accepts "applications all year round from these under-represented groups".
The force defends its approach, saying: "Enabling people from an ethnic minority background to apply early does not give them an advantage in the application process."
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 is around nine per cent."
The spokesman added that their use of Positive Action under the Equality Act 2010 was recently reviewed by inspectors and "no issues were identified".
