LANCASHIRE police are making sweeping changes in the way they recruit ethnic minority police officers.

The force wants to boost their number from 39 to more than 200 over the next decade.

Using a series of positive discrimination policies, including specifically targeted job advertisements, a careers convention and college visits, the force is aiming to attract around 162 officers from ethnic minorities over the next ten years.

It is also committed to recruiting 73 ethnic minority support staff and 24 Special Police Constables to inflate the force's current level of eight and 24 respectively.

The massive recruitment drive was launched last week in Blackburn and follows Home Office Minister Jack Straw's pledge to increase the number of ethnic minority police officers nationwide in light of the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry.

Acting chief inspector Ewan Cameron said: "We have been planning this recruitment and retention campaign since last October.

"We will be going through the force with a fine toothcomb to get to the root of the problem, in the hope of attracting officers from the ethnic minority communities.

"But, there will be no lowering of standards or compromise, people will get in to the force on their merit.

"Research suggests that the police force has not been seen as a favourable career among ethnic minority communities."

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