Peckham police are holding a series of workshops for Black, Asian and minority residents interested in joining the force.

The move is part of a drive to increase representation in the police force.

The event took place at Peckham Library. Against a backdrop of posters, stood a table with leaflets and other handouts. Five uniformed police officers were in attendance, to answer any questions regarding recruitment or specifics about the job. When this reporter attended, the workshop was sparsely attended, though it was, admittedly, near closing time.

PC Kaelon Parkes of the Southwark Police local outreach team said the new campaign to increase ethnic diversity was in line with London mayor Sadiq Khan’s “policing plan, which is to increase the amount of Black Asian and minority ethnicity officers.” Last March, Khan announced that a “new framework is being drawn up to give the capital’s diverse communities better scrutiny of the Met Police”. It would also ensure “London’s diverse communities are better represented in community monitoring groups,” he said.

Asked how many officers police are looking to recruit in Peckham, Parkes said: “There’s no actual figurative number, however we want the statistics for diversity to reflect 30 per cent of Black, Asian, Ethnic minorities by 2030.” 

In reference to Peckham’s ethnic diversity, Parkes added: “If the Met is 5 per cent (BAME) then how is that going to reflect? So that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to make sure the playing fields are level.”

He confirmed the recruitment drive was mainly for people who aren’t interested in getting a university degree. Not only does this broaden diversity in recruitment, it opens the door to a career for people who don’t want to pursue full-time education. Parks said that the recruitment team would offer an apprenticeship, as an alternative to a degree for entry to the police force.

The Peckham recruitment drive comes two years after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s pledge to put another 20,000 police officers on Britain’s streets by 2023. The increase in police numbers was part of the plan to tackle anti social behaviour. Though policing numbers still rose slightly in the 12 months from October 2020 – from 1, 559 to 1,583.

However, The Guardian has reported that the recruitment drive was more of a “restoration of police numbers, which have plummeted by about 20,000 to 123,000 since the Conservatives came to power in 2010,” rather than a significant increase in numbers.

Parkes said he wasn’t “entirely sure what Boris Johnson wanted…I’m just trying to follow the mayor’s policing plan of 2021.” The shortfall in police numbers is one thing, he said, “but diversity is a critical issue”.

Though it’s hard to argue with the fact that an influx in recruitment of police officers would at least help the reduction in crime. The National Police Chiefs’ Council chair, Martin Hewitt, told The Guardian : “This substantial growth in police officers will ease the pressure on our people and help us to reduce crime and improve outcomes for victims.”

Hewitt also showed that the recruitment drive “is also an incredible opportunity to accelerate our plans to increase diversity in policing.”

Therefore, from Hewitt’s point of view, the cause of the recruitment drive is more related to reducing crime, with ethnic diversity being something they are trying to increase in the process.

However, at a local level, there’s also significant evidence to show the increase in officers might not help reduce crime. Statistics show that during the aforementioned decrease of 20,000 police officers since 2010, the crime rate in Peckham Rye area in 2011 was the same as it was in 2019: 240 per 1000 resident population. These statistics also show a major decrease in crime rates during this period, going as low 173 in 2013.

In summary, the interview with Parkes may conclude that, from a local level, Southwark police are interested in recruitment to increase the diversity from the Mayor’s policing plan. However, it is significantly helped from within, with Johnson’s pledge to recruit 20,000 police officers. However, it’s not entirely clear whether historically a larger police force has benefitted Peckham, locally, at reducing crime.