False: An Essex Police job advertisement calls for 'streamlined applications' from people with the 'correct' minority background.

By: Rahul Adhikari
March 6 2023

Share Article:

Context

A photo showing a job advertisement has been circulating on social media claiming that Essex Police is calling for "streamlined applications" without a CV from people with the "correct" minority background. The viral photo, which appears to be a tweet from the official verified Twitter account of the Essex Police, shows a job advertisement along with an image of police officers posing with the slogan "We Value Difference'' written on it. The image also carries the real handle and profile picture of the Essex Police Twitter account.

The advert reads, "We're hiring! Essex Police aims to be the first county-level Police Force in Britain composed of at least 50% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic officers! If you're from the correct background you can submit a streamlined application without your CV at essex.police.uk/fitthebill."

An Instagram account, Open One Podcast, shared the post, which has received nearly five hundred likes, and approximately a hundred comments. The same post also went viral on Twitter, with people criticizing the police force for making racist statements.

In Fact

We found the Essex Police career page on their website and found that the department is hiring for several posts, but the advertisement in the viral post is not listed. None of the listings mention that minority candidates from "correct" backgrounds can apply without a CV. 

Further research revealed that the image used in the viral post was taken from a campaign by Essex Police named "We Value Difference." The campaign highlighted the department's "dedication to diversity, inclusion, and equality." Police officers from different backgrounds told their stories of how they were valued irrespective of their personality, age, cultural background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, language, education, and faith. Essex Police published its "Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Strategy 2020 - 2025" on its website, which does mention that the force aims to increase the "number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic officers and staff to be more reflective of the economically active population in Essex." However, this is part of their aim to "attract, recruit, progress and retain a more diverse workforce that better reflects our communities to improve confidence in Essex Police."

We found that Essex Police did not post any such job advertisement on their social media accounts either. On Twitter, Essex Police replied to a user who queried whether it was true, refuting the claim and stating, "This image has been manipulated. It is a fake and has never appeared on our social accounts as part of our recruitment campaign. The wording does not reflect the Essex Police recruitment strategy." The account also shared a link to the Essex Police "Career Page" in the reply. In another tweet, they explained that while the picture in the manipulated image had been copied from some of the police force's genuine recruitment material, the text included with it had been fabricated.

The Verdict

A manipulated image has gone viral on social media, claiming to show a job advertisement by the Essex Police. The department did not post an advertisement that mentioned accepting applications from "correct" background minorities without a CV. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.