Report slams policing standards

Tuesday, 1 November 2005 12:00 AM

Police forces are suffering from low-level recruitment, poor training and an inefficient employment structure, according to a new report.

The report by right-wing think tank Politeia criticises current structure and procedure and states that "a radical structural change is needed as a matter of urgency".

It says police forces are failing to attract high-calibre graduates, warning that pay and employment conditions - and the lack of a fast-track graduate scheme - are driving down police standards.

"The lessons from this study are grim. Policing suffers from low-quality recruits, poor leadership, and a structure of divided authority," said Politeia director Dr Shiela Lawlor.

"Both training and employment lack direction, and even a sense of fundamental purpose, with confusion about what the police are employed to do and how well they do it."

The think tank recommends raising entry requirements, training and leadership provision, and suggests individual police forces be given greater autonomy "to encourage officers to specialise and excel".

The creation of a new national force to deal with national and international crime is another proposal outlined.

However, the recommendations have been met with scorn from the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) which claims the report is outdated, and insists that many of its criticisms are already being addressed by the government-led Workforce Modernisation programme.

Bill Quick, Acpo chair of the programme, said: "Acpo has identified that the employment structure needs significant reform and has proposed a blueprint to the government which includes introducing the fast tracking of the most capable recruits through the service to key service delivery roles and to senior positions."

He added: "The Acpo Workforce Modernisation blueprint proposes radical changes to pay, conditions and rewards in an accredited framework to target quality recruits."

Others cautiously welcomed the report, with the Police Federation for England and Wales saying that better police training is needed.

Chairwoman Jan Berry told politics.co.uk: "We've been campaigning for years on highlighting the fact that there's no consistent national training.

"Where the system fails is that.it's feasible that the only training you get is basic training. The fact of the matter is that many chief police officers see training as a distraction from policing."

But she made clear that other aspects of the report - including the call for the setting-up of a fast-track graduate scheme and a national police force - were misguided.

"The current situation is that there is a fast-track scheme for those who demonstrate leadership qualities," she noted, adding that it was essential that "senior officers, many tasked with vital operations, have the grassroots understanding of what's it's like to be on the streets".

As for an FBI-style national police force, Ms Berry said it would bring as many problems as having multiple forces.

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