COMMISSIONER Cressida Dick has told a committee of MPs that she would rather have a capable police officer without a degree in the Met than somebody with a degree who is not as good at the job.<\/p>\n
Her comments came as she gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee in a session discussing the future of policing, alongside NPCC Chair Sara Thornton and NCA Director-General Lynne Owens.<\/p>\n
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She said that experience of operational policing gave officers \u201cdeep expertise\u201d but did add that allowing new recruits to study for a degree in their first years in the job would ensure future officers would have the right \u201ctechnical expertise\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Dick told MPs: \u201cWe all started as street police officers and we understand the craft there is in policing and the deep expertise that is gained by operational experience.<\/p>\n
“I would always rather have a capable, bright person in my current workforce without a degree than somebody with a degree who\u2019s not particularly capable and sometimes not very bright.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think that this does allow sensible routes for all and will allow people to gain a qualification that they can then use in other places and rather like nursing, it helps to make us ensure that people have the right formal technical expertise and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
MPs asked the panel about a range of issues in policing, including violent crime, counter-terrorism, cybercrime and police numbers.<\/p>\n
Ms Dick reiterated her previous comments linking rising crime with a fall in the number of police officers.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI would be na\u00efve to suggest that reduced numbers of officers on the street for a whole variety of reasons, including reduced officer numbers overall, has had no impact. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s had an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Thornton warned MPs about the consequences of falling police numbers at a time when neighbourhood policing has become more complicated.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cAlthough in a lot of areas the numbers look the same, neighbourhood officers are doing a lot of response work, they\u2019re doing a lot of work around mental health, they\u2019re doing a lot of work around missing persons, so there is undoubtedly a capacity issue in neighbourhood policing.<\/p>\n
She added that there should be a proper investment in neighbourhood policing based on a detailed analysis of demand, saying \u201cthere is more demand which is more complex and more complicated\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ms Owens also said uniformed and neighbourhood policing should be considered as a specialism.<\/p>\n
Ms Owens added: “You have to see local uniformed policing as a very specialist capability in its own right. The challenge is making local people understand the demand we are facing.”<\/p>\n