Danger, risks, long shifts, being answerable to the public and held to account for decisions - the police graduate scheme hardly tries to shield applicants from the tough side of the job.
Applications for the second ever fast track programme for graduates, run by the College of Policing, open on 17 November. The three-year scheme that trains graduates up to the rank of inspector – a feat ordinarily achieved over eight years – is certainly not for everyone. Programme lead chief superintendent Nicola Dale says she wouldn’t go quite so far as to replicate the Royal Marine’s advertising gimmick that “99% need not apply”, but she does stress that it’s “a job for some really special people”.
“The bar is set high,” she says. “We are assessing their potential for superintendent. We are looking for the future leaders of policing.”
This much is obvious from the recruitment statistics for the first cohort, who joined their respective forces in September. Of the 1,849 people who applied, 105 went through to the national assessment centre and only 43 were recommended for the programme – despite there being vacancies for up to 83 candidates.
There’s a vigorous sifting process, says Dale. “We don’t want people to be coming through unless they are the right sort of calibre and have the right personality to do the role.”
The new police recruitment schemes have been highly controversial within the service, with the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers expressing concerns over “people on work experience taking high-risk decisions”.
But Dale is keen to emphasise the rigour of the operational training undertaken by all new recruits. Fast track recruits go through all the standard practical training, but at an accelerated pace. “I think it would be naive if I said everybody [within the police] would welcome them with open arms,” says Dale. “There is potential for these officers to be seen as leapfrogging. But there has always been a graduate programme of one sort or another. These people have got to go in with the right way of doing things: if they are the right person they will get that support around them.”
What is the police service looking for?
The fast track scheme – along with the direct entry programme which appoints non-police senior leaders to superintendent rank – is part of a wider movement to bring more diversity and a fresh perspective to policing, a profession dogged by accusations of opaqueness and a rigid following of convention.
Again, the stats demonstrate the aim. In the first fast track cohort, which went through the application process earlier this year, 44% of accepted applicants are women and 14% are from a black or ethnic minority (BME) background. In comparison, the entire police service of England and Wales, including the British Transport Police, is just 28% female and 5% BME. The youngest new recruit is 20, and the oldest 34. The collective employment history is wide-ranging: although many have recently graduated, there’s also an ex-civil servant and former employees of the banking, retail, law, media and health sectors.
The police service aims to replicate schemes in other parts of the public sector, such as education where there are headteachers as young as 28. It is trying to attract people who would not have previously considered a career in policing, says Dale.
The key thing is leadership potential. In fact, Dale says it’s essential that fast track recruits are natural leaders, something she believes cannot always be developed. Despite the youth of its youngest recruit (20), Dale suggests the scheme is usually more suited to people in their late rather than early 20s.
“They will have had some experience of working with people,” she says. “They will have developed the ability to communicate within a team with credibility. They should be thinking about risk, about managing people, and how they communicate.”
Tips for success
So what advice does she have for potential applicants? “Think very carefully about why you are applying,” she says. “Have a chat with someone who is doing the job and have an understanding of what the scheme is about. You can make a difference quite quickly; people come in with an idea in mind of what they want to do.”
This year 28 police forces took recruits from the fast track scheme. Many forces hold careers events that are worth attending, especially as the first step to get on to the scheme is to apply directly to a particular force, and they all have individual recruitment processes.
The challenges, risks and demands of this programme should not be underestimated. “It’s a vocation you don’t really go into for the money, and certainly not for the hours,” says Dale. “These are people who genuinely want to come in to policing.”
Read more on this topic:
- Other ways to join the police at graduate level
- How to join the police at senior level through the direct entry scheme
- How to get a job in the public sector
• This article is part of our series on joining the public sector. Contact public.leaders@theguardian.com with your suggestions for the series
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