Thoughtpolice Guilty of Thoughtcrime

The grim spectre of Diversity marches through the police ranks with its characteristic goosestep as the government imposes its procrustean ideal of "equality" on us all and woe betide those who object or deviate. According to this opinion piece in The Telegraph (emphasis added),

Its race and diversity programme has included annual "diversity weeks", "diversity awareness" courses, a "positive action" programme to develop staff from "under-represented" groups, and "diversity training" for 15,000 staff in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. We now know that they might have spent the time more profitably learning how to maintain a filing system to keep track of illegal immigrants.

Mr Reid has blamed Home Office staff for their failures, but the racial quotas were imposed by his Government. Many officials, police officers and others have watched in stunned disbelief while recruitment on merit has been discarded to meet ethnic targets. They quickly learnt that it was best to keep quiet, and staff who spoke up in favour of fair procedures found themselves in hot water for "inappropriate behaviour".

To make it clear that opponents of ethnic targets stood no chance of promotion, a range of "diversity-related assessments" were included in all staff selection processes from March 2005. What does this mean in practice? A 19-year-old female candidate for the police service recently learnt a hard lesson in diversity awareness. She had passed her written tests, and in her interview was asked what she would do if she needed advice. She replied: "I would go to my sergeant and ask him for help." She failed the interview for referring to the sergeant as "him", thus revealing her lack of gender awareness.

She may have been guilty of a lack of "gender awareness," but she at least gets top marks for grammar awareness.

Samizdata has also noted this episode, and regards it as a good thing-- though not for the reasons the government would approve of.