Lancashire Police has defended its latest recruitment drive aimed at boosting the numbers of ethnic minority officers in the force.
The constabulary is offering applicants from minority groups three-hour workshops to help them understand the requirements and role of the constabulary.
Sergeant Paul Gooch, from the Lancashire Police HR department, stressed the workshops were not giving answers for the exams, but were offering general guidance about the recruitment process.
“We are getting our ethnic minority teams across the county to encourage people from under-represented groups to consider Lancashire Police as an employer,” he told the Lancashire Evening Post.
“It is not positive discrimination, which is unlawful for the police and all businesses. We are simply taking positive action to enable individuals to have an equal footing at the first step of the application process for the police.”
The force has around 90 officers from ethnic minorities, missing its March 2006 target of 101.
