West Yorkshire Police has been accused of lacking community and cultural understanding and stereotyping officers and staff from ethnic backgrounds.

An urgent meeting has been set up with senior command officers to discuss allegations made by ethnic minority officers to West Yorkshire’s Police Federation and Black Police Association.

Most of the complaints were against the force’s Professional Standards Department, which investigates other officers.

Following the complaints, a joint letter was sent by Anita Patel, co-ordinator of West Yorkshire BPA, and West Yorkshire Police Federation secretary Peter Scott to Deputy Chief Constable David Crompton.

The letter urged Mr Crompton to investigate whether ethnic officers were being disproportionately subjected to disciplinary procedures.

It states: “Many of our black and minority officers and staff believe the Professional Standards Department has a real lack of community and cultural understanding and tend to stereotype officers and staff and their families from ethnic backgrounds.

“It is clear from speaking one to one with individuals that the message being delivered into their communities is one of distrust and the police being an institutionally racist organisation.”

The letter warns the situation could lead to “civil unrest” in ethnic minority communities.

It adds: “These cases are not isolated and we are aware of other black and minority ethnic staff and officers within the organisation who are being investigated disproportionately.”

Michael Downes, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said a small number of complaints had been made, to both the Federation and the BPA, in relation to allegations of disproportionality by Professional Standards Department staff.

Mr Downes said: “These are unsubstantiated at this time and the Force has undertaken to investigate the allegations. We are satisfied, at this time, with that course of action.”

Anita Patel, of the BPA, said a meeting had been set up at command team level to discuss the concerns.

Deputy Chief Constable Crompton said: “The concerns that were brought to my attention have caused me to review each of the cases that feature in the correspondence. I have also commissioned a wider analysis of disciplinary outcomes.

“I am satisfied, at this stage, that the force is acting entirely appropriately in each of the investigations.

“Nevertheless, the wider review is still in progress and involves the Staff Associations. The findings of this review will be reported to the Police Authority, which monitors discipline and litigation.”