Officers should keep top police jobs - federation says (From Warrington Guardian)

Officers should keep top police jobs - federation says

12:00pm Friday 8th February 2013 in News

A POLICE Federation chief has warned against allowing top jobs to be awarded to candidates without any police experience.

All officers currently have that experience, but Government proposals currently under consultation could see outsiders joining as superintendents after a 15 month training course.

Superintendents are charged with the daily running of police and Simon Roberts, chairman of Cheshire Police Federation, said the move could put operations at risk.

“I’m a strong believer that you need to have been at each of the ranks in the police force.

“Because it’s such a complex profession you need to have spent time at each of the ranks.

“Where I have some difficulty is with some of the big decisions we have to make around the controlling of incidents.

“You need experience and training to be the best superintendent.

“The best I have worked with are former police officers.

“I have got some doubts about the proposals.

“I feel uncomfortable about dragging someone in at that level.

“We are not like other organisations, like the Army.

“The model isn’t broken so don’t try and fix it.

“I don’t know why they are doing it or why they would want to do it.

“No one has convinced me.”

There are currently two superintendents who influence policing in Warrington.

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John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commisioner for Cheshire, urged ‘extreme caution’ in allowing someone without experience into a senior role.

He said: “At any hour of the day or night senior officers may have to use their policing experience to make vital life and death decisions.

“The existing career system equips officers with that experience. It also means the public can have confidence in those officers.

“We need to be sure that any major changes in the policing structure do not remove that experience or undermine that confidence.”

The Government has said the recruitment shake up will improve the police force, while the Association of Chief Police Officers has said utilising outside expertise could have benefits. The consultation runs until March 28.

Other mooted changes include fast tracking new recruits to inspector within three years. Currently new recruits spend two years on the beat.

And Chief Constable roles could also be offered to leading cops from other countries.