Row over Met plan to drop cross

Plans to remove the crown from the insignia of the Metropolitan Police have led to calls for an urgent debate.

The symbol will disappear from all insignias on some of the uniforms of the Metropolitan Police by the end of this year under plans for the force to attract and retain more officers from religious and ethnic backgrounds. The Met's personnel "diversity strategy" has approved a new design after it was found the crown, topped with a Christian cross, could cause offence to those officers or recruits from Muslim or other non-Christian backgrounds.

But Elizabeth Howlett, a Tory member of the ruling Metropolitan Police Authority, said: "It's a huge symbol and I think it should be given proper debate. But it seems, as far as I know,the MPA has not entered into any debate about it."

The move comes two months after Moroccan Muslim traffic warden M'Hammed Azzaoui lost a legal claim against the Met on the grounds the 5mm cross discriminated against his religious beliefs.

Mr Azzaoui, 38, resigned in protest before his claim was heard in a South London tribunal and despite the Met eventually agreeing to replace his uniform.

But a new design for an insignia minus the crown and cross is underway. "The Metropolitan police recognises that the future of the service depends on its ability to attract and retain the most talented people," a spokeswoman said yesterday.

"Certain elements of the insignia, depict the Christian cross on the Queen's crown. The Met cherishes its association with the Crown and all employees will as be issued with the traditional insignia.

"However, if they particularly state that they can't wear the insignia for supportable reasons then they will be issued with the insignia not incorporating the crown."

Deputy commissioner Ian Blair is reportedly behind the change, with figures showing the Met way below its target of 6,000

more ethnic minority officers by 2009.

While many agree the force needs to do more to attract those from ethnically diverse backgrounds, some are against any insignia change. Darren Johnson, leader of the Greens and a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said: "I don't see any problem with modernising the badge.

"We have a diverse, multi-faced, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society in London. I don't think it's political correctness gone mad."

An MPA taskforce was set up last month to boost ethnic minority recruitment. Lord Toby Harris, Labour chair of the MPA, said at the launch: "Currently 17 per cent of applications are from ethnic minorities, and although police reforms offer opportunities to recruit outside the Commonwealth, we must make sure that the Met is representative of the people of London."