THE THIN BLACK LINE

Only one per cent of promoted police officers are from ethnic minorities

- ANDREW QUINN

ONLY one per cent of top police officers are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, figures show. 

A Scottish Lib Dem freedom of information request revealed just 46 of Police Scotland’s 276 officers who identify as BAME have been promoted to sergeant or above.

This is only 1.3 per cent of the 3699 officers who rank as sergeant or above.

At the last headcount, Police Scotland had 16,808 officers. This means BAME officers only make up 1.6 per cent of the force.

Scotland’s 2011 census recorded that four per cent of the population identified as being part of minority ethnic groups.

The difference between now and three years ago is minimal, with Police Scotland having only 44 officers who ranked sergeant or above in 2020. This was about one per cent of senior officers in the force. Scottish Lib Dems justice spokesman Liam McArthur has urged incoming chief constable Jo Farrell to “reflect closely and carefully” on the new data.