Recommendation 28

The Government has committed to the recruitment of an additional 20,000 police officers by 31 March 2023. We agree with the Home Secretary that the uplift must be used to make immediate and significant progress in tackling the persistent under- representation of BME communities within the police force. We also welcome the work done by some forces over the last year to achieve an increase in the number of BME recruits. But we need a substantial and sustained increase from all forces. We are 180 The Macpherson Report: Twenty-two years on already into the second year of a three-year increased recruitment programme, so both police forces and the Home Office need to act fast to make sure that this vital opportunity to accelerate change is not missed.