Proposed Licence To Practise Is ‘Nonsense’

Plans to introduce professional licences for police officers are “an absolute nonsense”, South Yorkshire Police Federation has warned.

Two thirds of Federated officers are opposed to the Government’s Licence to Practise proposals, according to recent research.

The proposals would require officers to regularly renew a professional licence throughout their career by proving they have the skills, training and standards needed to stay in the job – with those who repeatedly fail facing dismissal.

Steve Kent, Federation Chair, said his members were overwhelmingly against the proposals, which he said is the Government’s attempt to “get rid of cops”.

He added: “We’ve always had a robust discipline system within the police, as well as reviews into horrendous issues caused by serving officers. The systems have always been in place to deal with them.

“But because of the force’s inability to deal correctly with those systems, they feel that the system needs to change. No, it doesn’t. The system is absolutely fine. There does not need to be yet another method of getting rid of our hard-working officers without due process.

“The bottom line is that if officers are corrupt or commit crimes, the systems are already in place to robustly deal with them and get them out of the job. There is no need for anything else that brings in financial burden for officers.

“We are already overburdened with bureaucratic organisations that stifle police work, week in, week out. We don’t need another bureaucratic barrier.”