Met To Recruit Detectives From Outside Force For First Time
31 May 2017, 10:08 | Updated: 31 May 2017, 11:58
The radical new recruitment program for detectives will not require them to work as beat officers first.
The proposal has raised questions about whether such detectives will have the necessary skills without serving time in uniform.
Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Clayman from the Metropolitan Police told Nick Ferrari that the new recruits would be “given the exposure they need” and would be doing the kind of work police constables do: “You’ll be arresting people, doing house-to-house searches. You will be getting that exposure.”
While part of the objective of the program is to help fill some of the 600 detective vacancies, Mr Clayman says it’s also about diversifying the workforce and bringing “new people into policing.” He says response to the plan has been positive.
“We went out and surveyed a lot of people around London and we asked them questions around would they be interested in a role like this.
“What was really interesting was that people who had not previously considered a career in the Met would now actually consider a career.
“Particularly with female and BME [black and minority ethnic], this could be a way of bringing people into policing who hadn’t considered it before.”
To help ensure these new detectives are as capable as those who worked as PCs first, Mr Clayman said the assessment for candidates will be tougher than existing tests.
The assessment will involve a 18 week foundation course, which is investigatory focused. They’ll then have to pass a exam before undertaking another 7 weeks of advanced detective training. They’ll then be on a two year probation period, and in that time they’ll be accredited as a detective.
Applicants will have to have lived in London for at least three of the last six years and have a degree level qualification.
The salary will be the same as for a police constable at £29,600 per year. The first 80 recruits will be chosen for training in January.
