The ban on prison officers being active members of the British National party and other far-right groups should be extended to the probation service if it is to retain the confidence of minority ethnic communities, according to the chief inspector of probation.

In a report published today, entitled I'm not a Racist but ..., Andrew Bridges says that in most cases probation officers fail to challenge the attitudes and behaviour of convicted racists and sometimes explain away their racism as drunkenness or acting out of character.