The main cause of racial tension in this country, much of it simmering under the surface, is minority groups demanding equality with one breath, then demanding special treatment with the next.
When our homegrown organisations bend to the PC brigade in this way, the situation becomes even worse.
We need to stand up for ourselves before it is too late, but since the British are not fond of demonstrations and revolution, the PC brigade get away with actions that would not be tolerated in any other country on this planet.
Unless we all wake up, the UK is doomed.

tony, birmingham, uk

I do hope the mascot is not over 6ft this would be heightist!
Shouldnt the mascot have a disability?
HP Cardiff

Hywel PHILLIPS, cardiff,

For crying out loud! Next one will be "the white mascot is better looking then the black or asian one". Anybody thinks that this thing with ethnic minorities is going too far! I am not British, Scottish, Welsh even remotely English. I am actually from one of the most minor ethnic minorities. BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Instead of the police force trying to work out who not to offend with colour why do they not devote their resources to stopping crime?

John Charles Lucas, Newcastle, England

will jones..... get a life and stop trying to be a do gooder. people like you are doing our country a lot of damage.
there wouldnt be anywhere near as much racial conflict if people like you were'nt making all us british white people out to being racist !!!!!!!!

ian (white but not racist ), lancaster, UK

To be honest this all seems "much ado about nothing".

A mascot after all is just that, a mascot. Be it a bear, a penguin etc., etc.. What does it matter what colour it is or what colour hair it has? In fact, what is this colour issue anyway except an excuse to cause an argument. Be it from the "white" politically correct brigade, the "white" in-politically correct brigade, the hard done to ethnic minorities that the people of this country who have bent over backwards to give a better way of life, or the outright, outrageous burning flag brigade of the extremists.

A mascot is a mascot. Live with it and concentrate yourselves on issues that matter for crying out loud !!!!!!

ian, lancaster, UK

we are british , and proud of it if others want to live here they should live bye are rules , or get out

john hodgson , plymouth, england

Oh for God's sake. As Les in Southport says, the vast majority of people in the UK are white, so surely that means that this mascot is representative?

Ally, Bristol,

Reading through the crime news on this and other UK news sites, a reasonble person would conclude that the most pressing criminal justice issue in your country is either youth gang violence, drugs, or human trafficking. But no! It's a rubber police officer with blond hair!

Why does a police force even need a "Directorate of Diversity"? The Bureau of Bureaucracy can't handle those duties?

Just more proof that this ridiculous political correctness has destroyed effective policing on both sides of the Atlantic. God bless those who stll want to wear the blue, and God help the rest of us....we're going need it....

Marco, Miami, FL USA

Steve seems a very fair representation of a PCSO to me, certainly about as much use as one.

P.S. PCSOs don't wear helmets. The men wear caps and he women have ridiculous bowlers.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

I really don't think the gender or ethnicity of such a mascot would have made the slightest bit of difference when I was a child.

What's more, is this not in itself racist? My ethnicity is not a barrier to relating to a white mascot! Presumably these mascots will be used when informing children about safety and the like, purely about the role of officers.

This is like saying a white officer, no matter how efficient and hardworking, cannot properly serve a 'different' community. That's pretty demeaning.

I just cannot express how much I detest the undertones, channelling ethnic groups towards their own, indirectly marginalising subgroups. Yes, we know there are individuals of all ethnic backgrounds working in these fields. Marvellous.

Now kindly get on with doing the job?

A Kaur, West Midlands,

Next we will be having Pink Police Officers with Red Heads

How is it they have a Black Police Assocation and not a White Police Assocation,and an Asian Police Association and one for ever other racial group who feels left out from NEW Labour NOAH'S ARK of equality.

T, R,

Here lies the dichotomy "I want to be treated equally" "I want you to recognise that I am different to you".

And that's why multiculturalism doesn't work - people pigeon-hole themselves. And as soon as one individual designates themselves as different from another, friction arises.

W Smith, Oldham,

If batteries are put in them will they patrol the streets!

Kevin, Belfast,

This is a disgrace. What about having a LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL TRANS GENDER... PCSO.?

DAI MABINOGION, wanstead, england

The point IS that the force, and indeed the population, are overwhelmingly white and male (well, perhaps not so much the population on that second point). That is precisely why it's important to artificially represent increased diversity - so that at least some role model, even if it is make-believe, exists to mitigate the continued alienation of non-whites and non-males from the force's ranks and constituency.

The representation of white, male police constables in the UK is not - and cannot - be threatened. No child will ever think "But I can't be a policeman (note the gender-specific default), I'm white!" Any experience with the actual majority-white, majority-male force will soon allay any such suspicion.

What are you so scared of?

Jesse Dangerously, Edmonton, AB, Canada

I'm sure the majority of the met police force is made up of white males, making the current mascot representative of the met....

Will Jones, Bovey, Devon,

Surely if they want to be totally PC it does not matter a hoot what colour/sex/hair the mascot has as they should all be considered the same.

The other option would be green skin etc, not only could this not be PC it would probably amuse the kids as well.

(Apologies to any Green skinned Martians who may read this, you need to move to the UK asap so that you will be "included")

Malc, Istanbul, Turkey

What hope do indigenous European people have when even the British police force is against us?

Neil McAllister, Chessington, Surrey

The only two stable situations are zero mascots, or a couple of hundred (to reflect the true number of identifiable ethnic groups with representatives living in London).

Since I don't work in PR, I know which one makes more sense for me.

If you really, really, absolutely have to resort to gimmicks to engage young children, how about a cheap T shirt emblazoned with the name or Eind Blyton's favourite constable?

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

Here we go again pandering to the PC brigade idiots who really need to get a life.

Kate, Newcastle, England

Someone should really point out that 90% of the British Isles indigineous population is white, a fact you cannot bury with the use of political correctness, which does more to erect barriers between people than break them down. NuLabours twin monsters Political Correctness and Multi-Culturism, have done more to destroy the British way of life than Hitler and the Nazi threat ever did! Our education system has been politicised, immigration policey is non existant, we have quotas for employment [positive discrimination], all in the name of diversity and equality. Equality will only happen when we are all treated the same and that any person immigrating to Britain, does so realising that they have to intergrate with the British way of life and our values, they should not expect laws to be changed to make it more like their old country or given prefferential treatment.

Les, Southport, England.

There is no hope for this country , they just hate anything British. They wont be satisfied until any vestige of Britishness is iradicated.

Why do they hate themselves so much ?

Andrew , Manchester, Britain

This is the sort of thing that makes me want to leave the asylum which this country has become.

Astounded, Madsville, UK

Sack Blair, get a commisioner who is not a politcial puppet and who puts to bed all this stupid, destructive political correctness. Ths city deserves better that this present head of the police force. I call it a police force because that is what the majority of the public wont and expect. NOT this pandering to the first idiot with a loud mouth.

Steve, Herts, UK