New Met commissioner calls for diversity

Just days after officially taking over as commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Bernard Hogan-Howe seems to be making all the right noises in terms of regaining trust in the police.

Hogan-Howe wants the make-up of the Police to be more representative of the population and one way to increase diversity was by bringing in senior recruits from beyond the service.

The Sheffield-born 53-year-old believes he can put in measures which would radically cut crime and said the police force should be on a par with other professions where there is a higher number of individuals from the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community in senior positions to reflect diversity.

Hogan-Howe said,

"I wouldn't take every superintendent from outside next year, but I might take 20% if they have got the right skills and we gave them the right training. That training is not available yet, so it needs some planning for but I am open-minded."

He added,

"We need to be more representative of the people of London. There is clearly a lot more to do. Lateral entry is something we need to move on to and encourage. We either wait 20 years for something to grow from within the organisation or we take an opportunity to get a pool of talent who will encourage us to improve, to get new skills and new ideas that will benefit us in the long run."

Out of about 220 senior officers across 43 police forces in England and Wales, there are only 38 women and three from a BME background. In London, around 10% of officers are from a Black or Minority Ethnic background.

Hogan-Howe's plans to put in non-officers in the senior ranks is opposed by the Police Federation and the Police Superintendents Association.

But there is some sense in having individuals who understand the environment they come from and can relate to their communities.

Picture: Bernard Hogan-Howe