Do you think it would be a good idea if you could encourage more of the younger people in your community to join the police force, because it seems to me that one of the major problems in relations between the ethnic minorities and police force is that there are so few of the ethnic minorities in the police force? Yes, I agree that that plays some role in it, because this has been experimented in America in particular with success.
Previously it was complained that the racial problems there ensue from, among other factors, from the fact that the police was overwhelmingly white and they did not understand the problems of the black and the black did not have faith and confidence in this police. So to begin with, they would begin to suspect they are going to be ill-treated. So greater chasm was being created. Now Americans changed their policy and started recruiting a large number of the blacks.
The result was that the crime decreased and a better understanding was created between these two societies and the facts which I have just recently read tell me that, for instance, in New York, the crime went down by 40 percent or so, which is saying much, you know, if you know what New York is and how the crime is being committed, it is saying a lot of, you know, giving a lot of compliment to that measure. And they think this result was achieved mainly because of this measure which they took.
So I am quite sure if the police here is also more multiracial, it would help. But these things also bring in their problems. In America, both are Americans, basically. They belong to the same culture, the same traditions, although they are different ethnic groups. But here, when you begin to recruit people from various countries, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and West Indies and so on and so forth, they are not just different races.
They bring their own particular attitude to life, their concept of principles or lack of principles in things. So you have to be very wary of whom you recruit. And you will have to pay special attention to bringing them up according to the minimum standards you should expect from your own police. Otherwise, they will bring some wrong traditions in and destroy the homogeneity of your police character, if there is any homogeneity.
I hope that there is. In what way do you think we can encourage this recruiting campaign? Because it is the policy to recruit more. I think this should be encouraged by repeatedly advertising the fact that because of unemployment, growing unemployment nowadays, I am quite certain quite a few young men would be available, would be coming forward, if they know what is happening, if they know they are welcome.
But the general impression, which is wrong I know now, is that perhaps they are not welcome in the police force. So instead of finding ordinary labour anywhere else or sitting idle, I think they should much prefer to come to the police. Moreover, the police in Pakistan and in some other eastern countries has a traditional charm for the youth. Because of this authority, you know, you will do others and things.
So it is quite an attractive service to them. I mean, they don’t have to cross over some barrier of, you know, hesitations. They would most welcome this invitation on your part. And it should be made known to them more often than it is nowadays, through television, through other media of information. You can make this fact broadcast to them.
