Police officers 'licensed' like doctors and lawyers as forces told they can recruit 'direct entry' police chiefs

POLICE officers will have to be licensed like doctors and lawyers as part of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's major changes which will also mean the start of direct-entry police chiefs and more graduates being recruited.

Police officers in England and Wales will be required to hold and renew a licence throughout their career so they learn new skills as criminal techniques evolve.

Officers must adopt new skills to stay at the top of their game and keep pace with new methods adopted by criminals, the Home Office said.

The Licence to Practise will ensure officers are best equipped with problem solving and technological skills they need to catch more criminals.

Drawn from other professions such as lawyers and doctors, officers will have to demonstrate that they have the skills needed to fight crime. Those who fail to reach the required standard, following opportunities to try again, will be removed from the profession.

Currently, 43 forces operate different training, supervision and performance systems. These reforms will enable officers to develop their skills throughout their career. The new licensing regime will set clear standards that will equip officers to fight more crime and catch more criminals.

Crime and Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, said: “Every police officer needs to remain match-fit to protect their communities. As crime evolves, we expect police to evolve more quickly.

“The Licence to Practise will equip every officer with the skills and capabilities to do the job – whether new to the force or a policing veteran.

“Under these reforms, police forces will catch more criminals and protect their local communities.”

The programme will be developed with police forces and delivered in phases. It will set clear standards in areas such as violence against women and girls and neighbourhood policing, alongside essential leadership expectations for every member of staff.

The Licence to Practise will introduce a clear structure for continuous professional development. Officers will know the training required – supervisors will be able to confirm that skills and support are in place, and forces will follow one national approach to performance and supervision.

On Monday, the Home Secretary is expected to announce the largest reforms to policing since the police service was founded two centuries ago.

In a white paper titled “From local to national: a new model for policing”, Mahmood is expected to outline a radical blueprint for reform, so local forces protect their community, and national policing protects us all. Underpinning the reforms are simple aims to catch criminals, cut crime, and protect the public.

Among the changes forces will be able to hire inspectors at direct entry who could even be fast tracked to superintendents.  

Currently, forces can only hire new inspectors from within – restricting the ability to bring in new skills and talent into leadership roles. Yet crime is becoming more complex and criminal networks are adopting new sophisticated tactics that require outside skillsets.  

The government will introduce a Direct Entry route for inspectors so forces can hire exceptional leaders from sectors outside of policing to step up the fight against crime.

These new hires will bring sophisticated skills and valuable experience from their previous roles to enable forces to better fight crime and improve police performance. Those in financial sectors could now join top roles to fight complex fraud, and tech experts could be hired to combat online crimes such as online child abuse.  

People who serve as leaders in different sectors – whether problem solvers, someone with a forensic eye for detail or someone with experience of leading operational teams – can become inspectors in forces without ever having had policing experience.  

Ms Jones said:  “Crime is constantly evolving – but many forces lack the expertise they need to keep up with criminals.  

“Yet archaic hiring rules stop forces bringing in the brightest and the best.  

“Forces will now be able to hire the best talent so we can step up the fight against crime and keep the public safe.”

The government will work closely with policing partners on the redesign of the new and improved scheme.

The pathway was closed down under the previous government in 2020, restricting leaders to only promoting from within leaving forces unequipped to fight evolving crimes.

It is expected that successful direct entrants to inspectors could also apply to fast-track to superintendent.

As part of the White Paper, the government will also work with policing on developing a single pathway to different specialisms within the police.  

This will involve exploring ways for high-calibre individuals to specialise in a particular policing field at an earlier stage.

Police forces are also to recruit the "brightest and best" from universities in a new recruitment drive to cut crime and catch more criminals.

Modelled on Teach First, the government is investing up to £7 million to attract top students from universities into specially trained graduate neighbourhood police officer roles in England and Wales.

Over 280 officers are expected to be hired by March. Half of these recruits will specialise in neighbourhood policing, to drive down anti-social behaviour that is blighting town centres and residential areas across the country.

Forces were forced to stop accepting applications due to overwhelming demand from graduates.

Ms Jones added: “For too long, criminals have run riot in our communities with no punishment.

“We must attract the brightest and best to join police forces so we can step up the fight against crime.

"That is why we are investing so forces can recruit top grads into policing roles to catch more criminals and protect our communities.”

This comes as significant progress has been made to restore neighbourhood policing.

Almost 2,400 additional neighbourhood officers have been brought into neighbourhood policing roles in just six months. This is part of the commitment to increase neighbourhood policing by 3,000 by the end of March, building towards 13,000 extra by the end of the Parliament.

Police officers who put themselves in harm’s way to protect their community will also get world class support, the Home Secretary has vowed.

Officers fighting crime in our communities put their lives at risk and the consequences can be damaging for their mental health. Post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health injuries are prevalent amongst officers.  

The Government will expand the roll out of the dedicated Mental Health Crisis Line so all officers and staff can access mental health support, and have committed to its funding long term.  

Officers and staff in front-facing and high risk roles will also be offered psychological risk screenings each year so officers suffering can be signposted to the best support when they need it most.

Trauma tracker software will be made available to every force and ensure senior leaders can identify and support staff at the highest risk and intervene at an earlier stage.  

Ms Jones said: “Our police officers are the bravest of the brave.  

“They deserve the best mental health support so they can continue to protect communities.

“Our landmark reforms means that wellbeing is no longer an afterthought – police staff will be given the best support possible.”    

Mandatory training around resilience and mental health for new recruits and supervisors will be introduced and treated as Protected Learning Time.  

Main image for illustrative purposes.