NSW Police recruitment ad offensive, councillor says

AAP Saturday June 15, 3:46 PM

http://www.smh.com.au/breaking/2002/06/15/FFXW4FWDG2D.html

A television commercial, screening as part of a NSW police recruitment drive, was offensive in its racial stereotyping, a councillor from one of Australia's most culturally diverse local government areas said today.

The 90-second reality-TV style commercial shows police in dangerous and confronting situations.

Thang Ngo, a Fairfield councillor in Sydney's west, said not one of the officers depicted in the ad appeared to come from a non-English speaking background.

And the criminals and victims depicted were obviously from ethnic backgrounds, he said.

"The most offensive part of the ad is the depiction of a youth, obviously from an Arabic-background, caught by police carrying a knife," Cr Ngo said in a statement.

He said depicting mainly Anglo men as good guys in police uniforms, and the baddies as Arabic youths, would drive a greater wedge between police and ethnic communities.

"The ethnic communities are sick of only being depicted as criminals and victims," he said.

"This ad is particularly offensive because our taxes are being used to play up racial stereotypes."

Cr Ngo said the ad might attract people to the police force who subscribed to false and divisive racial stereotypes.

"It's no wonder police have trouble attracting ethnic recruits," he said.

He called on NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney to immediately withdraw the ad.

Comment was being sought from NSW Police.