Thames Valley Police is launching a fresh drive to attract more recruits from the black, Asian and other minority communities in its region.

The force said its aim was to make the UK’s largest non-metropolitan police force not only more representative of the communities it serves, but also more responsive to their concerns.

The recruitment drive begins at the Zee Carnival in London this weekend and will be followed by a series of recruitment events, engagement with communities and a large-scale advertising campaign.

The head of Community Recruitment at Thames Valley Police, Sgt Pinder Parkes, said the campaign artwork emphasised the fact that police officers were ordinary people: “Many people will never have considered becoming a police officer before, but they may well have the aptitude and skills we are looking for. It’s a challenging and fulfilling job, and the campaign stresses that you don’t have to sacrifice the normal things you do in life to make a real improvement to your community.

“In these troubled financial times, policing represents a secure career with excellent prospects for development and progression, as well as the chance to specialise. A constable joining the Force in 2009 can expect to be earning in excess of £30,000 within five years.”

Having joined in 1980 as Thames Valley Police’s first Asian female officer, she served in Crime Reduction, CID, Major Crime, Witness Protection, the Cold Case review team before being appointed to her current role. She is a Family Liaison Officer and a founder member of the Thames Valley Black Police Association.

Thames Valley Police wants ten per cent of its new recruits to come from minority ethnic groups in an attempt to increase the total number of black and Asian officers to 7.6 per cent This would then reflect the current active black minority ethnic population of the Thames Valley as a whole. As of November 2008, only 4.7 per cent of the Force’s staff were black and Asian.

Deputy Chief Constable Francis Habgood said: “Throughout 2008, we experienced a steady increase in the number of people from minority ethnic communities joining the force, which is encouraging. The people we serve are increasingly seeing us as an employer that values diversity.

“But we want that increase to accelerate so that we are truly representative of the communities we serve. As the Commission for Equality and Human Rights stated recently, police forces in the UK need to make greater use of positive action initiatives, such as the one we are launching today, to encourage more people from ethnic minorities – of all ages - to join us.”