Thursday, October 19, 2006

Met more likely to sack ethnic minority staff

LONDON’S Metropolitan Police was last week accused of having a discriminatory policy in its handling of disciplinary procedures for its civilian staff.
Reports published last week showed that ethnic minority workers at Scotland Yard are far more likely to be sacked at the end of a disciplinary process than their white counterparts.
This coincides with another report that black people in London are far more likely to face criminal charges when caught carrying cannabis, while white people are more likely to be simply cautioned.
The reports are based on analyses of the Met’s own statistics.
The PCS civil service union, which represents many of the Met’s civilian staff, said that the force appeared to have learned little from a report two years ago by Lord (Bill) Morris, former general secretary of the TGWU union, which said ethnic minority officers still face discrimination.
“Diversity is about more than ticking boxes, it is something that needs to be embedded within the culture of an organisation,” said a PCS spokesperson.