Police reject bids from 47 outsiders for senior role

THE Government’s plan to parachute leading figures from other industries into senior policing roles suffered a setback after none of the candidates who applied to West Yorkshire Police were deemed good enough.

The force received 47 applications from a wide range of backgrounds to join the force at Superintendent level as part of the national ‘direct entry’ scheme which aims to broaden the talent pool available across the country.

But it has revealed that despite receiving a “high calibre of applicants, all demonstrating considerable success in their careers to date”, none will be approved for the position.

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Human Resources director Hilary Sykes said: “Unfortunately, we have not been able to identify a candidate that met our rigorous high standard right across a full spectrum of competencies, so on this occasion we will not be progressing applications to the next level.

“This recruitment process in West Yorkshire is part of a national programme, which is still ongoing, and we may have the opportunity to consider more applicants arising from that. We will also welcome future interest in the next round of Direct Entry.”

Almost 900 applications had been made for 19 posts across the country, including 67 in North Yorkshire, which is recruiting two people to the positions.

The best applicants will be put through their paces in late July and the cost of training, funded by the Government, is estimated at £180,000 per entrant.

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When West Yorkshire Police’s involvement in the scheme was announced in March, chief constable Mark Gilmore said it was an “exciting new opportunity to try something different” to complement skills already available.

A Home Office spokesman said it was “right that forces only consider those who they are confident can complete the demanding training programme”.