One of the UK’s biggest police forces is temporarily blocking white, British men from applying to become officers, it has been claimed. West Yorkshire Police Force (WYP) is attempting to boost diversity by preventing applications from white, British men while allowing people from “under-represented” groups to lodge their applications early, according to The Telegraph.

The process has led to claims that the policy is unfair towards British applicants, discriminatory and potentially even unlawful. WYP maintains that the policy is designed to encourage “diverse communities” to consider a career in the force and to ensure that it is representative of the people it serves. However, former officers have hit out at the measure, which they say is akin to a “hidden” recruitment policy targeting certain groups. One former officer who was heavily involved in the process of sifting applicants says that they raised concerns to senior bosses but was warned against interfering.

They claim applicants were awarded a ranking based on their ethnicity, with Asian candidates given “gold”, south-east Asian applicants given “silver” while those who identified as “white other” were given “bronze”.

In a report to senior officers, seen by The Telegraph, he said: “This feeds into a general theme where the pipeline for anyone white British is strangled, whilst anyone not white British is ushered through onto the next available stage.”

On its website, WYP says that it “is committed to achieving a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve, and in doing so, we encourage individuals from minority groups and communities to engage with our recruitment and progression opportunities, as permitted within UK employment equality legislation.”

It adds: “We are currently accepting applications for the two police constable entry programmes (uniform and detective) from people from our under-represented groups… If you are not from one of these groups, please keep checking this page for future recruitment opportunities.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: “The most recent census found that 23% of people in West Yorkshire identified as being from an ethnic minority background. Our current police officer representation from ethnic minority backgrounds is around 9%. To address this under-representation, we use Positive Action under the Equality Act 2010.

“Our use of this was recently reviewed by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services in an Activism and Impartiality inspection, and no issues were identified.

“Positive Action allows people from under-represented groups who express an interest in joining the force to complete an application, which is then held on file until a recruitment window is opened.

“No interviews are held until the window is officially opened to all candidates.”