UK Police Force Blocks White Applicants in Diversity Drive
10th April 2025
West Yorkshire Police (WYP) is currently blocking white British applicants from its police constable entry programmes, according to reports. Aiming to ‘boost diversity,’ black and Asian candidates are being advised to apply early before the vacancies are made open to other potential recruits.
WYP’s goal is to address the problem of “under-represented” groups in the workforce. This is despite it already spending a police record minimum of £1m (€1.17m) a year employing 19 diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) staff. Its website admits that it accepts
applications all year round from these under-represented [ethnic] groups [while white British candidates must wait until] our recruitment process is open.
Employed in police human resources, a WYP whistleblower claimed that a candidate rating system is in force. While black and East Asian candidates were ranked “gold”—and south-east Asians “silver”—“white others”, such as candidates from Irish and eastern European backgrounds—were tiered “bronze.” This means the recruitment process is being distorted at the insistence of senior officers. Separately, vacancies were not made directly available to the public but emailed out to selected applicants using a ‘Positive Action’ mailing list.