Police chief calls for positive discrimination The senior officer, the lead spokesman on workforce development for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), admitted the proposal, was needed to address the embarrassing scarcity of top of British policing. His proposals, which would mean a change in British law, were aired days before Theresa May, the home secretary, was due to announce plans to introduce direct entry to the service at inspector and superintendent ranks, as part of the Winsor reforms. He was backed by Sir Hugh Orde, the ACPO president, who called for an urgent debate on changing the law. Figures show there are 48 superintendents and chief superintendents in England and Wales and six chief officers, who are black or of ethnic minority, representing three per cent of all chiefs. Charles Crichlow, president of the National Black Police Association, said senior officers already had it within their power to bring about more change. Damien Green, the police minister, told crime commissioners last week he was "struck by how far we still need to improve representation of women, black minority ethnic populations and other protected groups in the police, especially at senior levels." But he made clear it was up to the police, not the government, to take responsibility for improving the situation. My firm belief is that the police must take ownership for these issues.