The Metropolitan Police is talking to ad agencies about its
recruitment advertising account in preparation for a new drive to
attract more conscripts into the force.
The review comes in the wake of an image crisis for the Metropolitan
Police, which has suffered adverse publicity recently - particularly
over the Stephen Lawrence case.
Its commissioner, Sir Paul Condon, admitted this month that the force
has not done enough to combat racist crime and harassment, and admitted
he had ’failed Stephen, his parents and friends, and black
Londoners’.
Barkers, a recruitment advertising specialist, is the incumbent and has
been asked to repitch for the business. There is thought to be a
shortlist of four agencies for the account, which spent pounds 160,000
last year but is expected to increase its budget in 1999.
David Clissold, a procurement officer at New Scotland Yard, said:
’Because of the value of our recruitment advertising account, we are
required to put it out to tender. So we have now evaluated submissions
and drawn up a shortlist.’
Although the account has been low-profile in recent years, it has been
the source of much award-winning advertising - particularly CDP’s
recruitment work for the Metropolitan Police.
CDP’s drive in the late 80s aimed to attract potential policemen of
various ethnic backgrounds.
One of the ads showed a black man running along a street, being pursued
by a policeman. The copy revealed that the black man is, in fact, a
plain clothes officer working in tandem with the uniformed white
man.
The drive, which was named Campaign’s campaign of the year in 1990, also
played a part in improving the image of the Metropolitan Police.
The current three-year contract with Barkers runs out at the end of
1998.
