1% Of Scotland's Police Officers From Minority Backgrounds

Lib Dem MSPs are calling for action after figures revealed just 1% of all police officers in Scotland identify as black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME).

Using the Freedom of Information Act, the figures found that, despite 7.6% of Scotland’s population being BAME, there are no officers in the top two ranks and only two across the top four ranks held by the 446 most senior officers in Scotland.

In total, there are only 175 BAME officers out of a total 17,515 police officers in Scotland.

Figures for police staff also show there are no BAME officers in the top five grades.

Commenting, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Alison McInnes MSP said: "These are appalling figures which are in no way reflective of the diverse nature of Scotland’s population.

Only 1% of all officers are from BAME backgrounds. It is the same for police staff. There are only two BAME officers across the top four ranks held by the 446 most senior officers in Scotland.

This is  a travesty which warrants immediate action from Police Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Scottish Liberal Democrats urge both Police Scotland and the Scottish Government to set out how they propose to address the woeful representation of communities in our police force."

Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Neil Richardson said: “Policing in Scotland has a strong relationship with all our communities including BAME communities and we want to build on that even further. We absolutely recognise the need to reflect the communities we serve and that recruits from BAME communities have a valuable role to play in helping to keep people safe. Recruitment for officers is ongoing, and BAME is one of the five key groups being targeted in the current campaign. We would encourage anyone considering a career in policing who comes from a BAME community to consider that positively.”