Ethnic minority candidate given police job despite failing interview
Senior officers in West Yorkshire Police intervened to ensure that an ethnic minority candidate who failed her interview was given the job, according to leaked documents seen by The Telegraph.
The female officer was initially rejected but eventually given a post after her case was taken up by the force's chief officer team, which includes Chief Constable John Robins.
To get around her failure, West Yorkshire Police then scrapped interviews for officers transferring to the force, the documents show.
The move will increase pressure on the force, one of the UK's largest, which has already been accused of prioritising ethnic minority candidates with 'appalling racist hiring' practices.
West Yorkshire Police used the policy change to offer jobs to six other ethnic minority officers who had failed their interviews or had been rejected from shortlists in the previous eight months. Eight white officers, who had been rejected at the interview stage, were also offered jobs as a consequence.
One email seen by The Telegraph shows that the female candidate was allowed to join before pre-employment checks were carried out on the orders of the chief officer team.
'Lost the plot'
A senior officer involved in recruitment made an official complaint to the police watchdog. An insider told The Telegraph: 'West Yorkshire Police have lost the plot in becoming obsessed by race. It can't be right that officers who failed interviews were then given jobs.'
But West Yorkshire Police said that a complaint that the police constable had been 'given favourable treatment' had been investigated 'thoroughly' and that no evidence had been found to support the allegations.
The force is under scrutiny after The Telegraph first disclosed that white British applicants are being temporarily blocked from jobs as new recruits to boost diversity. A whistleblower complained to this newspaper that white candidates were being discriminated against illegally to increase the proportion of officers from under-represented groups, a claim the force denies.
Chief Constable Robins last month said he stood by previous comments where he said that he wanted discrimination against white candidates to be legal.
The documents seen by The Telegraph show that the female police officer was initially blocked from transferring to West Yorkshire Police while she was still on a two-year probationary period at another force.
A police officer in charge of sifting applicants refused her transfer 'as she is still in her probationary period,' but was slapped down and told he had misunderstood the policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit tourist drowns in Cyprus hotel pool while playing with grandchildren
A British dad drowned in a hotel pool while playing with his grandchildren - just hours before he was due to watch his son get married. John Fazackerley, 60, failed to resurface during game in the water with the youngsters and, although guests and paramedics dashed to perform CPR, the retired builder died. John had flown to Paphos in Cyprus where his son Sean's wedding to fiancée Vicky, which went ahead the next day and where guests paid their respects to John. Sean, 30, and his family are now working to bring John's body home and hold his funeral, which altogether will cost thousands of pounds. Paying tribute to his dad, Sean, who is an IT manager, said: "He was a very family-orientated man and his final moments were with his grandkids, playing. He loved fishing and spending time with the grandkids and we miss him. Now, we are just trying to support my mum and she's moved in with us for a bit." The GoFundMe page for donations to bring John's body to the UK has raised more than £5,000 so far. There has, though, been some confusion over the postmortem in Cyprus, the family says. The poignant fundraiser reads: "Very suddenly while on holiday for his son's wedding in Paphos, John passed away, his last moments were spent with his grandkids and loved ones. "We are asking if anyone can help how big or small to donate towards getting John home back in the Uk and towards funeral costs. We appreciate everyone's love, support and respect for all the family at this very difficult time." Sean, from Cheshire, claims resort staff struggled to locate a defibrillator - and when they finally did, none of them knew how to use it on Sunday May 25. A family member used the device in the end before paramedics arrived, added Sean. When relatives arrived at hospital, personnel demanded John's passport details which the family didn't have to hand because the documents were securely stored in a safe in the hotel room. As they tried to locate the passports, Sean told MailOnline how his mother, Julie, was the only one allowed in to the hospital with his father. Sean and Vicky decided to go ahead with the wedding. Sean said his dad had been particularly excited for an ice cold beer following the ceremony, and so in his honour they placed a family snap of the retired builder next to a cooler of beer and drank in his honour at the party.
South Wales Argus
2 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Petrol bombs thrown at police during fifth night of Northern Ireland disorder
After serious public disorder erupted in Ballymena on Monday, the focus of the violence and unrest has since shifted to Portadown. One officer was directly in the impact of a petrol bomb that landed behind a line of police vehicles during a sustained standoff with those participating in the unrest on Friday. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill speaking during the British-Irish Council (BIC) summit at the Slieve Donard resort in Co Down (Liam McBurney/PA) Fireworks, masonry, and bottles were among other items thrown at riot police deployed in the town. Shortly before midnight, the PSNI used a water cannon on the crowd in an effort to disperse those gathered on West Street into other areas. The force used the water cannon again at around 12.30am on Saturday. Elsewhere on Friday, there were reports of disruption and damage to public property as riot police responded to another protest in the Tullyally area of Londonderry. It came after a senior officer said there would be a 'scaled-up' policing presence across Northern Ireland in anticipation of further disorder over the weekend. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the mobilisation, which would include officers sent over from Scotland, was 'to reassure our communities and protect our streets'. A person wearing a Union flag stands near armed police in Portadown in Co Armagh (Brian Lawless/PA) Disorder started in Ballymena on Monday after an alleged sexual assault of a girl in the Co Antrim town at the weekend, and continued throughout the week. The unrest and riotous behaviour spread to other towns including Larne, Belfast and Coleraine. A number of homes were targeted, and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has said about 50 households have received assistance across the week, and 14 families have been provided with emergency accommodation. A police representative group said at least 63 police officers have been injured in the five days of disorder, which led political leaders to call for calm during a meeting of the British Irish Council in Newcastle, Co Down, on Friday. First Minister Michelle O'Neill said everyone is condemning the disorder and calling for it to stop. 'What we have seen over the last four days has been devastation, has been horrific for those people targeted – this is women and children, these are families, at the brunt of racist, violent attacks, and it is wrong on every level,' she said. 'The whole of the Executive is united on that front.' Damaged property at Clonavon Terrace, Ballymena (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly described a 'difficult time for Northern Ireland' with 'disgraceful scenes of violent disorder', and said her thoughts are with the residents of the areas affected. Additional police officers from Scotland supported the PSNI after a mutual aid request. Scottish First Minister John Swinney said it was an illustration of how cooperation between police forces is 'absolutely essential'. While disorder in Ballymena raged across Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night, it appeared to have largely abated in that town by Thursday. However, disorder instead flared in Portadown – although generally at a lower intensity compared to scenes seen earlier in the week. There have also been incidents in other towns, including the burning of Larne Leisure Centre on Wednesday and an arson attack on a house in Coleraine in the early hours of Friday, from which a man and woman, and four young children escaped. A police officer at the scene after an attack on Larne Leisure Centre (Liam McBurney/PA) It is being treated by police as arson with a racially motivated hate element. The Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said that since violence erupted in Ballymena on Monday, 63 officers have been injured. Federation chairman Liam Kelly said it has been 'a week of shame with appalling levels of unrest in towns and cities'. 'Burning people out of their homes, attacking a leisure centre, and the specific targeting of individuals and property fuelled by overt racism and prejudice, is totally deplorable,' he said. 'Yet again, our overstretched police officers have also been attacked with petrol bombs, bricks and fireworks as they sought to keep people safe and maintain law and order. 'They have held the line with great courage and professionalism and are owed a debt of gratitude by this community. Youths in Portadown in Co Armagh on Thursday (Brian Lawless/PA) 'They went to the aid of vulnerable people, have prevented further savage attacks and have undoubtedly saved lives.' Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher warned on Thursday that his officers would be coming after the 'bigots and racists' behind the disorder. He also said that the young girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in Ballymena at the weekend had been 'further traumatised' by the rioting across the week.
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
BBC will not appeal against Adams' defamation case victory
Mr Adams, a former president of Sinn Fein, said there needed to be 'substantial reform' of the broadcaster. Mr Adams took the BBC to court over a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, which he said defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, in which he denies any involvement. Last month, a jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour and awarded him 100,000 euros (£84,000) after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. The BBC, which was found by the jury not to have acted in good faith nor in a fair and reasonable way, was also ordered to pay the former Sinn Fein leader's legal costs. After the decision, the broadcaster's legal team was granted a stay in the payment of the full award as it took time to consider an appeal. However, on Friday, the BBC confirmed it would not pursue an appeal. A spokesperson said: 'We have given careful consideration to the jury's decision. 'We will not be appealing its verdict, bringing this matter to a conclusion. 'We remain committed to public interest journalism and to serving all BBC audiences.' In a statement issued through the Sinn Fein press office on Friday, Mr Adams said: 'The decision not to appeal by the British Broadcasting Corporation has to be followed by a substantial reform of its internal journalistic processes and a recognition that it cannot continue to be a voice for the British state in Ireland. 'It must also become more accountable to the public. 'The Dublin Court found the BBC guilty of libel and rejected its claim that its journalism was fair and reasonable and in the public interest. 'The British Broadcasting Corporation is a public service provider. There is an onus on the BBC to ensure that in the future its ethics and journalism reflect the principles and values of a public broadcast service. 'As I have already said the damages will be donated to good causes.'
