West Midlands Police criticised over advertising jobs in non-English language publications

The tactic, known as 'targeted selection' includes placing adverts for roles in ethnic minority communities before publishing them in the mainstream media and via their own communication pages such as on Facebook, Twitter and the force website.

The BBC has reported that officers at South Yorkshire Police have described the methods as 'discriminatory'.

No-one from the force was available to comment on the claims to the Express & Star.

In its last recruitment round, West Midlands Police managed to attract 30 per cent of new starters from black, Asian, or ethnic minority backgrounds, which has been a top target of Chief Constable Dave Thompson and Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson.

But Mr Thompson said the force was not discriminatory in its recruitment.

He said: “West Midlands Police continues to strive for a more diverse workforce by recruiting people directly from the communities we serve.

“The area we police is richly diverse, with around 30 per cent of local people coming from ethnic minority backgrounds.

"We want to reflect that and it is vital that communities know that we have a strong commitment to equality and diversity.

"Currently almost nine per cent of West Midlands Police officers are from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities – the second highest representation in UK policing.

“We strive to be as fair as possible whether that is for new recruits or in opportunities for existing staff in other departments. It would be wrong and discriminatory to select on gender or race – West Midlands Police does not operate a process like that.

"For a whole host of reasons people may feel that they should not apply for the police – positive actions seek to address those concerns so that everyone is at least starting from a similar place."

He said the force had been praised for its approach and was ranked seventh in the 'Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers'.

He added: “Promoting diversity in the force across all protected characteristics is crucial in order to accurately reflect the communities we serve and to ensure we are effective in preventing crime and protecting people."