If you want to join the UK Metropolitan
police now, you must be able to speak a second language in addition to
English - at least one out of 14 languages and Yoruba is one of them.
The police say this is because 300 languages are spoken in London
UK Daily Mail reports
Scotland
Yard has come under fire today after placing an advert demanding that
anyone wanting to join as a police officer be able to speak a second
language. The
Metropolitan Police wants to bolster the number of officers able to
speak and understand 14 languages which are widely used across London.
But the move has sparked criticism from a former officer and members of
the public on Twitter.
Retired Met
Police officer Chris Hobbs wrote: 'I've kept reading and re-reading it.
Can't believe it. What about potential BME (black and minority ethnic)
recruits who only speak English.'
He
added: 'Won't this also adversely affect the recruitment of guys and
girls from the black community whom we would like 2 [sic] see more of?'
After
Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe set an ambitious target of having 40 per
cent of all officers from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, only
18 per cent met that criteria when the latest intake passed out in
March.
According
to a report published by the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee
in December 2014, before the most recent recruitment campaign, only 11
per cent of officers serving in the Met were from Black, Asian and
Minority Ethnic background, compared with approximately 40 per cent of
the population of London. The current BME figure in the Met is now 12
per cent.
Members of the public also appeared less than enthusiastic about the new initiative.
Simon
Holdaway tweeted: 'The Met's lack of understanding of the problems it
faces is stunning', while another user wrote: 'the lunatics have finally
overtaken the asylum.'
Meanwhile, Carole Hawkins tweeted: 'For £19,000 a year, this country is now getting really stupid.'
