Wanted: Female spies

2008-07-13 08:25

Paisley Dodds

London - Bond. Jane Bond.

Britain's secret spy agency, home to the very white and very male 007, is hunting for women and minorities to tackle global terrorism. More than 20 000 people have applied since MI6 began its open recruiting campaign about a year ago, in a drive that has all but replaced the famous shoulder tap used to recruit author Graham Greene and others in World War II.

MI6's website encourages mothers to apply and assures women they won't be used as "honey pots", or seductresses. Disabled applicants are welcome. And a special search is directed at minorities who speak Mandarin, Arabic, Persian and the Afghan languages of Dari and Pashto.

Could the future James Bond be a woman or a dark-skinned Urdu speaker?

"The key challenge is the terrorist threat," MI6's head of human resources told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Government agencies have to show they're making positive efforts (to diversify) but for us it means much more."

Suicide bombers killed 52 rush-hour commuters in Britain in 2005. A year later, intelligence agents uncovered a plot to allegedly blow up several trans-Atlantic airliners. Last year, two men failed to detonate bombs outside a London nightclub and Scottish airport.

British law enforcement says it is watching more than 21 000 people and 200 plots. Many of the suspected cells have alleged links to extremist networks in Pakistan - most of Britain's 1.8 million Muslims are of Pakistani origin - but new threats are emerging in Bangladesh, China, Iran and Somalia.

Equalities Bill

These days, it takes more than a trench coat to blend in with the changing landscapes.

"There are three strangers in the room that you need to get on your side. How do you get them to warm to you? Could you be an operational officer?" asks one of MI6's ads, which have appeared in British newspapers, travel magazines and The Economist. Another ad shows a line of Arabic text and asks would-be applicants if they're able to translate it in a hurry.

The drive comes as Britain prepares for the Equalities Bill, which will allow organisations to give female and ethnic minority candidates preference. Pola Uddin, the first Muslim woman in the House of Lords, told the AP it's time Bond had a taste of affirmative action.

"We need less sexism and a symbol who doesn't always hold a martini glass," she said.

Applicants are required to be British citizens and at least 21. Salaries start at about $52 000 but senior officers can earn triple-digit sums. Applicants are told to keep the monthslong vetting process secret, but it can involve a battery of personal questions about family relationships, drug use, finances and religion.

The work's importance - not the pay - is the main selling point, says MI6's chief recruiter, a former field officer who also spoke on condition of anonymity. But it's still a tough sell for women.

"The perception is still that (the work) is for single men," said the recruiter. "But not all jobs are on the front line. This said, many of the women who join want to be on the front line."

'Mission-critical'

MI6 hires between 250 and 350 recruits a year through the open recruitment process. The organisation won't give a total number of personnel but said out of last year's recruits, 40% were women and 11% were from ethnic minorities. Positions include linguists, operational agents, technology officers, security guards, drivers and receptionists.

MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), evolved from the Secret Service Bureau created just before World War I to counter foreign espionage and collect intelligence. Eventually the bureau was divided into domestic (MI5) and foreign (MI6) operations.

MI5, the domestic spy agency, has also upped its recruiting drive. MI5 reported a temporary decline in female recruits a couple of years ago that some attributed to a British TV thriller, aired in the US as MI5, in which a female agent's head was dipped in a deep fryer. Two years ago it placed posters in gyms and sports magazines featuring a black woman in a T-shirt.

The security service now has around 3 600 employees and hopes to reach 4 000. About 43% are women, down from 51%in the 1990s, and 6.5% are minorities. MI5 has had two female chiefs since 1992.

The CIA has taken a similar path, with almost half of its work force hired since 9/11, according to spokesperson Marie Harf.

"Given the nature of its vital national security work, diversity is essential to the CIA," she said. "In fact, we call it mission-critical."

- SAPA