London - British police chiefs are to be set strict quotas of officers from ethnic minorities in a bid to bolster race relations.
The Home Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, will set a national target of 7 per cent for black and Asian officers.
At present, only 2,500 of the 127,000 police officers in England and Wales are classed as black or Asian.
The package of measures is designed to boost the image of the police after a series of damaging and high-profile cases, including the flawed investigation into the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence.