The Black Police Association yesterday urged a recruitment boycott of the Metropolitan Police claiming that, despite its new leadership, the force was marked by "a hostile atmosphere where racism is allowed to spread”.

The BPA attacked both the senior management of the Met and the Metropolitan Police Association, now chaired by London mayor Boris Johnson, for not doing enough to stop racism and for not protecting its members.

The association told Times Online that it will take out a series of adverts in the national press during Black History Month warning any potential black or Asian recruits not to join the Met .

The move is a public challenge to Mr Johnson and to Sir Paul Stephenson, the Met's deputy commissioner and the favourite to succeed Sir Ian Blair who was ousted last week.

Sir Paul recently told Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, who has accused the organisation of racism, to “shut up” and get on with his job after the force’s most senior Asian officer held a press conference to publicise his intention to pursue an employment tribunal.

A spokesman for the BPA said: “We will not put up or shut up to racism and inequality.”

A large group of black officers will attend the MPA meeting at City Hall today.

The current racism row is threatening to fuel a civil war within the Met and lead it to its worst crisis since the Macpherson report branded it “institutionally racist” in 1998. The statement from the BPA will only add to the problems that have been tearing the Met apart at the highest level.

A senior source at the Met BPA told Times Online: “We are saying that currently with the police authority as it stands and the relationship between Sir Paul Stephenson and the gold circle of officers we do not think they are serious about race and equality.

“We would be failing in our duty not to tell potential applicants what a hostile and racist situation it is there.”

Within days of Sir Ian Blair announcing his resignation as Commissioner, the BPA, which has 17,000 members nationally, said: “The Metropolitan Black Police Association will, as of today, totally boycott all recruitment drives initiated by the Metropolitan Police Service to attract black and ethnic minority recruits and police staff.

“We will actively discourage (through our extensive community network) potential applicants from applying to join the Metropolitan Police. We will take out a series of actions in the foreseeable future in support of our goal.

“The Metropolitan Police under the current management and supervision of the Metropolitan Police Authority have made the working environment for its existing black staff a hostile atmosphere where racism is allowed to spread and those who challenge it are either suspended, told to shut up or subtly held back in relation to career development.

“We would be failing our duty as an association if we did not share our current experiences with those who want to join the MPS.

“The boycott and our active discouragement will continue during Black History Month and beyond until the Metropolitan Police Leadership and the Metropolitan Police Authority convince us that they care about race and equality for its workforce and the people of London.”

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