Brickbat: A Thumb on the Scale

John Robins, head of England's West Yorkshire Police, said police departments should be able to practice "positive discrimination" in favor of black and Asian applicants in order to increase the number of nonwhite officers in their ranks. Robins insists this would not result in lower standards for officers. Such discrimination is illegal in England and Wales. "I think the time has now come that legislation should change so that we should [use] positive discrimination," he said.