Police Now began in 2013 when two detective inspectors began thinking about what policing could offer to graduates and what graduates could bring to policing. Originally incubated within the Metropolitan Police Service, Police Now has since evolved into an independent social enterprise, and is now partnering with 28 forces in England and Wales, with a mission to reduce crime and increase the public’s confidence in policing.
“We wanted to offer graduates a unique opportunity to make a difference,” says Kurtis Christoforides, programme director of Police Now. “To say to graduates with a strong public service ethos: ‘Instead of becoming a lawyer or consultant or analyst, why not come and be a police officer for two years in the most deprived communities in the country? Make a real difference to people, develop yourself personally and build professional skills you can’t learn anywhere else, and build a career within policing.’”
Since 2015, Police Now has recruited, trained and developed more than 640 police officers, posting them in neighbourhood policing roles in some of the country’s most deprived communities. David Spencer, Police Now CEO and co-founder says: “Police Now has a successful track record of bringing bright, diverse, public-spirited people into policing and working with police force partners to train and develop them … They are excellent police officers, making a positive impact in the communities they serve.”
It is in recognition of this success that the Home Office decided to provide funding for Police Now to offer the new National Detective Programme.
Spencer says: “Across the country there are already thousands of excellent detectives doing brilliant work, and the programme Police Now develops will build on their expertise to ensure that new detectives deliver the best possible results for the public.”
A special 12-week training academy has been developed, meaning that recruits will begin working on cases after three months, but continue to receive training throughout the Police Now two-year programme.
The new National Detective Programme will focus on problem solving, crime prevention and safeguarding. New recruits will begin their detective careers on minor crime and robbery cases, before embarking on more complex investigations.
But it’s not just a new and unconventional route into a career in the police force; it’s an unparalleled opportunity to impact communities, according to Christoforides.
“The programme isn’t just about recruiting more great detectives. It’s about systems change at a broader level and problem-solving the issues that lead to crime, in order to help reduce it,” he says.
As well as being an innovative way of attracting people who wouldn’t otherwise have considered a career in the police force, Christoforides feels Police Now is very forward thinking when it comes to the future of the force. “It’s particularly exciting that this isn’t something that’s being done to policing – it’s something that has emerged from within policing,” he says.
The recruitment drive for detectives comes in response to what Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has called “a crisis” in detective staffing levels, with a 17% average shortfall in officers reported by forces across England and Wales. In its latest report (pdf), HMICFRS said that, to bring the forces back up to strength, 5,000 new detectives would need to be recruited and trained to help deal with the 14,500 crimes that are reported every day.
In 2018, Police Now’s attraction campaign and selection processes garnered an Institute of Student Employers diversity and inclusion award, which recognises them as an employer acting as an agent of change in attracting and selecting from diverse talent pools, in addition to promoting a more inclusive culture. This reflected the ongoing work of Police Now to attract a diverse range of graduates into policing, including but not limited to attracting more black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) and female candidates.
“As a workforce, policing has some great people; really dedicated, hardworking individuals doing their very best to deal with the challenges faced by lots of different sections of society, but we can be stronger by having greater difference,” adds Christoforides.
That’s a sentiment shared by DI Mendoza (pseudonym): “We want a very diverse workforce within policing and all kinds of skills are transferable to the job of being a detective, so we welcome people from as many different backgrounds as possible – everyone, irrespective of their background, brings something new to the table.”
Astonishingly, 58% of the Police Now cohort had not considered a career in the police before hearing about Police Now.
Currently, approximately 80% of Police Now trainees choose to stay within the force beyond their initial two-year commitment. Within the organisation, it’s hoped that even more graduates will chose a career in policing upon completion of the detective programme. Christoforides doesn’t foresee this being difficult to achieve. “Most people have been bitten by the policing bug by the end of the programme and they just can’t imagine working anywhere else,” he says.
Police Now tries to ensure it recruits the best candidates by using adaptive testing, in which tests adapt to the applicants’ ability levels as they progress through the recruitment process. It has also introduced a strengths-based interview system, to replace the traditional competency-based system. This shifts the focus on to the potential of applicants, rather than their learnt behaviours and/or experiences. These innovative techniques ensure that a level playing field is maintained, that applicants can perform at their best throughout the application process and that ultimately, only the best-suited candidates are selected for entry on to the Police Now programme.
“A Police Now detective programme will – as with the National Graduate Leadership programme – be aligned to the Police Now mission of transforming communities by increasing public confidence in the police and reducing crime,” says Spencer.
Applications for the new National Detective Programme must be in by the end of April 2019, and their detective careers start at the first day of training at the academy in September.
“As a former detective myself,” Spencer says: “I understand the positive impact that detectives can have on reducing crime, increasing confidence in communities and protecting the most vulnerable in society. I am determined that we should develop a programme that not only attracts diverse and brilliant individuals who may not have thought about policing before, but that we equip participants with all the skills they need to be excellent detectives.”
For DC Gabaldi (pseudonym), who joined Police Now’s first cohort of police constables on the neighbourhoods programme in 2015 and has recently progressed to become a detective, there’s no better job.
“Aside from the excitement and variety, by far the biggest satisfaction of being a detective is feeling that you have made a positive difference – getting to the end of a day knowing someone out there is safer for your hard work is an amazing feeling,” she says.
Apply now at the Police Now Detectives site
