The Fact Wire

Head of NPCC says ‘shock to the system’ needed to increase diversity, as one force falls foul of discrimination laws Police forces should be allowed to positively discriminate in favour of potential employees from minority ethnic backgrounds in order make themselves more representative of communities they serve, the leader of Britain’s police chiefs has said. Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chief Council (NPCC) said she believed that positive discrimination was needed, and new laws should be passed to “shock the system”. Her comments were made just days before an employment tribunal found a police force had acted in a discriminatory way when it incorrectly used positive action in a recruitment process. Positive discrimination, where a recruiter makes a decision based on a protected characteristic, is currently illegal. However, positive action, where an employer compensates for disadvantages faced by minority groups, is legal under cer

Generous funnyman Brendan O'Carroll still pays ex-employee Cowan even though he doesn't have to Rory Cowan gets paid tens of thousands of euros in royalties every year for Mrs Brown’s Boys. Generous funnyman Brendan O’Carroll still pays ex-employee Cowan even though he doesn't have to. Cowan, 59, said: “I get royalties four times a year but I never have any idea when or how much until Brendan sends a text.” Every few months the Dubliner receives a text from O’Carroll saying “Hi Rory, this amount is going into your bank account”. Cowan added: “And it’s usually substantial because Mrs Brown is always on TV. Every time I switch on the TV, Mrs Brown is on.” He revealed how he quit his job as marketing manager at EMI Ireland to become O’Carroll’s publicist. He told the Irish Sun: “People said to me 'are you f***ing crazy?' but I really believed Brendan would be a big star one day and I was proved right. “In a