A cash grant from the Government could help Bradford police meet tough recruitment targets for ethnic minority officers.

Bradford and District Ethnic Minority Police Liaison Committee has applied for funding through the Home Office Connecting Communities scheme.

Full details of application, which could be worth more than £200,000, are still sketchy. But part of the bid is to set up a mentoring and shadowing scheme encouraging members of ethnic minority communities to join the force.

West Yorkshire Police have been told by Home Secretary Jack Straw their workforce must reflect the community they serve.

That means increasing ethnic minority representation from 2.6 per cent to 9 per cent by 2009.

Figures show West Yorkshire Police have approximately 4,880 front line officers, 130 of which are from ethnic minority backgrounds. Of those, 34 serve in the Bradford district.

Chief Superintendent Phil Read, divisional commander at Toller Lane Police, said: "There is already a lot of good work going on here in Bradford to attract the right calibre of candidate. "If we get this bid, I am confident we will be able to meet the targets."

Ch Supt Read made his comments in response to suggestions for changes to Britain's existing recruitment policy. The Government is considering plans to allow recruits from abroad to increase the numbers of black and Asian officers on the beat. Current regulations only allow recruitment from Britain, the Commonwealth countries and Irish Republic.

Ch Supt Read said: "If the laws were changed recruits would still have to meet physical and academic standards. As a police commander the need is for people in the community to join up who know the area they are working in."

Chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, Roger Benn, said the reasons why fewer people were applying for police jobs and many were failing entrance tests needed to be addressed.