Met police recruits should work for free in first year, says report

Under threat: a report for the Met says Hendon Police College could be sold off
12 April 2012

Scotland Yard is considering an overhaul of police recruitment to save millions a year in training costs.

Under the proposals, future police recruits in London would need to work as volunteer special constables for at least a year before they could apply to become full-time paid Met officers.

The move could end the tradition of tutoring new recruits at the world-renowned Hendon Police College.

A report will go to the Metropolitan Police Authority next week saying the new scheme could save more than £12 million a year by 2012.

The study adds that long-term savings could be even greater because Hendon would no longer be required and the site could generate "significant capital" if sold for development.

However, rank and file police leaders criticised the proposals.

Peter Smyth, the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: "I would be cautious about accepting this as the only way that we recruit.

"My concern is that if people are told they have to do a year's work without pay then we could lose some very good candidates. If a talented student is leaving university with a £20,000 debt then he may not wish to choose to do voluntary work for a year or so before he starts paying off his debt." He added: "I can see the benefits though, it makes financial sense and money is tight."

Other critics say the proposed training arrangements could lead to accusations of policing on the cheap.

However, Deputy Mayor Kit Malthouse said: "If you want to become a police officer this shows your commitment They will do the same training but a lot of it is on the job."

The Met has a waiting list of thousands of applicants and has frozen recruitment. Many people are postponing leaving the force because of the recession.

Special constables, who spend a minimum of 300 hours a year on patrol, currently get 23 days basic training. Under the new scheme they would have to take a course in policing and the law as well as in patrol work. If they are recruited as paid officers, they would undergo a further 15-week course. At present, new recruits undergo a 25-week course at Hendon.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in