High Numbers Of Inexperienced Officers

“IT is a risk that we’ve got so many officers who are inexperienced.”

The new influx of officers is very welcome, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said, but it can put a strain on frontline teams.

Chair Steve Kent was responding to a report from the Public Accounts Committee outlining that up to a third of all police officers in England and Wales will be inexperienced if the Government hits its target of recruiting 2,000 extra PCs by March.

Steve said: “All our new recruits are very welcome and we don’t in any way want to belittle the fact that they’re coming in.

“But they’re coming in such sheer numbers that they’re hitting the ground running and not necessarily having enough time to learn the trade like officers used to be able to do.

“There is a bit of a concern that we’re losing a lot of experienced officers, and that those on the frontline are now not as experienced. But the balance of that is that we have enthusiasm on the frontline.

“We just need to make sure that the uplift continues and that we get people who can stay in these frontline roles in years to come, so we’re not just hit with cliff edges like we’ve had where we’re squeezing 20,000 officers through the door.

“We cannot fault or criticise the enthusiasm. But there’s no two ways about it, it is a risk that we’ve got so many officers who are inexperienced. It’s such a high percentage on teams, and that can put a strain on things when we don’t have officers who are 100% confident in what they’re doing. But we will get there.

“It’s a better problem to have than not to have those officers. But it needs to be followed up with consistent investment.”