'We need more black officers to help reduce tensions'

Kilsi Brian Kobani now works with the police's community legitimacy panel to scrutinise the police

A man who believes he was wrongfully arrested due to the colour of his skin has called for more black people to consider becoming police officers.

Kilsi Brian Kobani said he has "seen some progress" by his local force around racial awareness since the incident three years ago, but thinks more can be done.

Gloucestershire Police apologised to Mr Kobani after he was wrongfully arrested in 2020 for crimes he did not commit.

Mr Kobani, 24, from Cheltenham, said: "If more black people become police officers then there will be reduced tensions between law enforcement and ethnic minorities."

Chief constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary Rod Hansen said the force is making changes.

Gloucestershire Police holds regular meetings with diverse communities

In July 2020, a month after the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol, Mr Kobani was arrested in a case of mistaken identity.

He now works with the police's community legitimacy panel (CLP) to scrutinise the force and act as a liaison for those in ethnically diverse communities.

He said: "The thing that I find most annoying is if that was a description of a white boy, the police would not arrest any random person off the street."

He added police had since "taken measures" to make sure such an incident never happens again.

Mr Kobani said black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) representation in the police force would help matters further by building up "a bit more trust and faith in the people that are meant to protect us".

"We would like to see more BAME representation in the police force and encourage officers to engage in the communities they oversee," he added.

Mr Hansen said the force is embracing the police race action plan

In January this year, the number of people from ethnic minorities working at Gloucestershire Constabulary was 4% - compared to the local county population of 6.93%.

Mr Hansen said: "We have some way to go but we're making very good progress."

The force set up a plan two years ago to develop cultural change and has regular meetings with ethnically diverse communities.

"We've changed out policies in relation to stop and search, we're very much embracing the police race action plan," Mr Hansen said.

"We're trying our very best to be as appropriate fair and proportionate with all the people that we serve."