‘Experience is more important than direct entry’

RECRUITMENT for the direct entry scheme for police inspectors has begun in England and Wales – but South Yorkshire Police is not part of it.

The force was mistakenly listed by the College of Policing as one of the forces taking part in the initial process. But the College made a mistake.

Only nine forces in England and Wales are in fact taking part.

They are Cheshire, Thames Valley, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Humberside, Northumbria, North Wales Police, Warwickshire and West Mercia – are taking part.

“I’m totally against it,” said Neil Bowles, Chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation. “You need experience as a Constable and a Sergeant to able to lead a team of Constables and Sergeants in that role.

“You just can’t learn the job in 18 months or two years and have the respect and leadership values to run an operational team. You’ve got to be able to do what you’re asking them to do.”

It was revealed last year that more than 15,200 constables and sergeants in England and Wales are currently qualified to a higher rank level but with no role to go into.

Recruits to the £48,000-a-year posts will undertake classroom training while working as a PC and then sergeant in their first year. They will then move up to inspector while completing their training.

After two years of training and supervision, they will be fully qualified and independent.

Mr Bowles said: “South Yorkshire was never going to be involved – the College got it wrong. We have a joint HR with Humberside, so although we’re still two separate forces our HR services are the same department, the same people, and Humberside apparently told the College that we’re going to do it, so it went with the double force heading. So they obviously assumed that we’re involved as well.”

Entrants do not need prior policing experience or a degree, although the latter is listed among “desirable” qualities.

Mr Bowles concluded: “The College will try and keep going at it, like they have with direct entry Superintendents, and yet we haven’t seen any evidence to see that that’s a success yet. The College seem to be pushing thigs, and talking about evidence-based policing, but then they don’t stop and evaluate the things that they’re changing to see whether they have worked.

“There’s just so much change – and no evaluation afterwards. I’m not saying that we don’t need reform, we can always continually improve, but some of the ideas that people come up with are just bizarre.”