Exclusive: Police may bring in outsiders for top posts

West Yorkshire Police will this year use the ‘direct entry’ scheme to advertise for a Superintendent position which will be open to leaders from other professions.

The aim of direct entry, unveiled last year by the Government, is to widen the current talent pool in the police and bring in new skills and people from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Critics of the policy say it creates unnecessary risks by allowing recruits with no first-hand experience of policing to potentially take charge of major incidents.

Other forces in the country are also planning to recruit using direct entry, but West Yorkshire Police’s plans are understood to be the furthest advanced.

Bosses are now working with the College of Policing, which aims to raise standards in forces across the country, to design training tailored to meet the individual needs of each direct entrant.

West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Mark Gilmore said: “As Chief Constable I am committed to using every opportunity to reach and recruit the very best talent available as West Yorkshire Police works towards providing a world-class policing service to all our communities.

“I fully recognise the skills, experience and leadership talent that already exists within the service and this exciting new opportunity to try something different in no way replaces it but will complement it.”

Policing Minister Damian Green said: “I am delighted that West Yorkshire Police is using direct entry as an additional tool to recruit top-class talent.

“Their work with the College of Policing to ensure that all direct entry recruits are adequately supported is very encouraging.

“A combination of the strong leadership already in the force, and the improved nurturing of internal talent through the College of Policing, means that we will have a police force that is even better at fighting crime.”

There are approximately 800 superintendents in England and Wales who have operational responsibilities for local divisions and major investigations. The proposals to recruit superintendents from other industries first emerged in 2012 in a major and controversial report on modernising police working practices.

The new recruitment scheme for superintendents could eventually lead to the appointment of a chief constable who has never made an arrest, though their training would include shadowing constables. Around 20 superintendents a year are expected to be recruited in this way.

Steve White, Vice-Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “We agree that the police service should be seeking to attract the ‘brightest and best’, however the current high potential development scheme should already identify those individuals and allow them to flourish.

“To command a policing operation effectively, a senior officer needs first-hand experience of responding in an operational capacity to incidents they would not encounter in any other walk of life.

“External candidates should not be able to join the service at any rank above that of constable; the current structure properly equips officers for the next stage in their career.”

Jack Dromey MP, Labour’s Shadow Policing Minister, said: “Police forces should look to appoint the best possible people and get the most from talented individuals from a wide range of professional backgrounds.

“But it’s important those being considered for these operationally important positions possess the skills, knowledge and experience required.”

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