Letter: Pros and cons of quota cultures

I STUDIED under William Julius Wilson whose book The Bridge Over the Racial Divide Paul Barker quotes ("Don't count on the numbers game to heal racial rifts", 5 December); and I agree that maintaining strict quota hiring in transferable service and industrial jobs is futile. However, the work sector that Mr Barker highlights, the Met and its demographic make-up, is neither exportable nor threatened by IT. Until bullish white folks play fairly in the police and fire employment arenas, quotas are necessary. Even so, "thoughtful" observers such as Mr Barker will still consider black and Asian cops to be simply "bringing down standards".

ANDREW SIMONS

London E1