{"id":335558,"date":"2023-06-08T13:10:55","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T13:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sypfcopperconnection.co.uk\/?p=335558"},"modified":"2023-06-08T13:10:55","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T13:10:55","slug":"challenges-of-an-inexperienced-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sypfcopperconnection.co.uk\/?p=335558","title":{"rendered":"Challenges Of An Inexperienced Workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE recent police uplift has been a positive development, but there are challenges to having a young-in-service workforce, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.<\/p>\n

Federation Chair Steve Kent was speaking as new figures<\/a> showed that, nationally, over 2,000 new police recruits left during their probation period, either because they were dismissed or chose to leave.<\/p>\n

He said that retention of new officers wasn\u2019t a big problem in South Yorkshire, but that rookie cops were taking some time to bed in.<\/p>\n

Steve said: \u201cWhen we\u2019ve got that number of students coming through the door, it can be a challenge for the organisation. There are risks with having a very young-in-service workforce, as they\u2019ll be inexperienced and are going to need time to bed in, be trained, gain experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what you\u2019ve got with the university system is that new officers are in and out. So, they might be on a shift for a month or two, then they\u2019re back in university for a month or two, and that really doesn\u2019t help when it comes to the resourcing crisis that we\u2019ve had in South Yorkshire in recent years.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cI do welcome the new cops. We go out and see them and encourage them as much as possible. But the numbers need to continue to rise, because we\u2019re still not at the numbers that we were pre-2010. At one point we were at a peak of 3,500, and ultimately we need to see continued investment going forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur retention rates in South Yorkshire are quite good, which is encouraging. Some new officers see the reality of policing, the difficulties, the working conditions, the hours, and they sadly don\u2019t see it through. But that is the minority.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to make sure that South Yorkshire Police is a really good place to work, and make sure the training is there, which we\u2019re trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n