Police recruitment should be ‘colour blind’ says Rees-Mogg
Metropolitan police officer in London, England, UK
THE recruitment process for police officers needs to be “colour blind” and based on merit, according to Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Speaking on GB News, he said: “A damning new report on the Metropolitan Police has revealed that in a push to hit diversity targets, basic safety checks were ignored and dangerous criminals became policemen.
“The Metropolitan Police hired officers who had failed vetting to meet quotas for ethnic minority recruits that included people with serious allegations against them, including Cliff Mitchell, who had been accused of raping a child.
“His application was rejected, but a special panel set up to meet diversity targets overruled the decision.
“Then, while serving as a constable, he went on to commit repeated sexual offences, including against children. He is now in prison for life.
“The report shows that more than 5,000 officers and staff were recruited without proper background checks, and thousands more had references ignored.
“Over 100 officers who initially failed vetting were later allowed in, and 25 of them went on to commit crimes or misconduct.
“The problem goes beyond a few reprehensible individuals and derelictions of duty when reaching arbitrary diversity targets take priority over safety, the public inevitably loses when numbers and quotas matter more than character integrity, lives are put at risk and trust in the police is undermined.
“Recruitment ought to be colour blind and solely merit-based. Positive discrimination that overrides vetting concerns is reckless and dangerous.
“Standards and requirements must be the same for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnic or religious background or sexual orientation.
“This report must be taken as a warning. Ideology cannot override common sense, and quotas must not replace judgement, and if the goal is to hit a percentage rather and protect the public, it is the public who will suffer.
“The Metropolitan Police says it has fixed these issues and tightened vetting, but diversity targets are wrong in principle, as they inevitably distort selection procedures.”
