@AOG
We keep hearing this story but *nobody*, especially not the Beeb, dares show the figure for proportion of applicants from minority communities, let alone a comparison between the mix of applicants and the mix of eventual recruits.
My question would have been whether diverse groups are deselecting themselves - choosing not to join up because their community perceives the police force as an enemy?
One sidebar:
I am given to understand that Police Officers are required to serve in a town other than the one where they grew up, in case of having to handle former pals.
This should fix any fears of being seen by their community as a 'traitor' but, in all likelihood, this may mean them moving away from the big city, where all the fun is and getting planted in some town, mainly full of white folk.
"No hardship", I hear some say. Well, how many miles is too many, when it comes to costs of visiting the relatives?