All this talking about #DegreeGate got me thinking, took me off at a completely different tangent.
IF all new recruits (and I accept that is not finalised yet) have to have a degree then this is adding significantly to the recruit’s financial debts.
Regardless of their antecedents, any new recruit at whatever age will have whatever debts and baggage they have accrued according to their age and lifestyle. So far so good, that is normal.
Under the new proposals they can apparently add up to £40,000 Student Loan debt to their previous total, more in London.
So I asked the College a few questions on Twitter, and to my amazement I got some replies
.@CollegeofPolice Do you think it’s a good idea to have graduate recruits with a Student Loan debt up to £27k? Vulnerable? #PEQF
— Alan Wright (@Alanw47) February 5, 2016
.@CollegeofPolice Av Student Debt o/s London £35-£40k. You don’t think that’s a problem for recruits? #PEQF https://t.co/4UcANkS3tH
— Alan Wright (@Alanw47) February 5, 2016
@Alanw47 We are consulting on alternative entry routes (eg apprenticeship) and looking at making limited bursaries available.
— College of Policing (@CollegeofPolice) February 5, 2016
@Alanw47 On your vulnerable question, everyone is thoroughly vetted before entering policing.
— College of Policing (@CollegeofPolice) February 5, 2016
@CollegeofPolice I have experienced vetting, I still doubt ‘thorough’
— Alan Wright (@Alanw47) February 5, 2016
@CollegeofPolice Add Student Loan to mortgage and debt is potentially immense
— Alan Wright (@Alanw47) February 5, 2016
@CollegeofPolice @Alanw47 “Thoroughly vetted?” Alan, a thorough vetting would include Intelligence Analysis, inc Association Chart 1/2
— UKPolicevsET (@UKPolicevsET) February 5, 2016
@CollegeofPolice @Alanw47 and if the applicant doesn’t disclose “I’ve dated drug dealers” no effort is made to discover risky applicants
— UKPolicevsET (@UKPolicevsET) February 5, 2016
@CollegeofPolice@Alanw47 Nobody can call a PNC, local crime intel, companies house and experian check a “thorough check”.
— UKPolicevsET (@UKPolicevsET) February 5, 2016
I am indebted to at least one officer who has assured me that he/she was accepted into the Service with £20k Student Loans, but we all know that nothing is ever certain in life and one could be 100% confident that the debts are manageable and then a Tory government comes along and changes your financial security at the stroke of a pen. We have seen that already since 2010.
To quote from the Unmanageable Debt Process
Debt that becomes unmanageable can place police officers and members of police staff in a vulnerable position and more likely to become engaged in corrupt activities in order to try and improve their financial position.
So I still think that relying on ‘thorough vetting’ is very naive and at the very least recruits with substantial Student Loan debts should be Risk Assessed and subjecrt to ongoing reviews. I know that sounds intrusive and OTT and everything else but the Police Service has to do EVERYTHING possible to reduce or eliminate the potential for corrupt pracrtices or approaches, and recruits should be willing to submit to it.
Finally, more on the theme of yesterday’s post admittedly on a slightly different aspect of the discussion, a final comment on the need for degrees. The College posted this from their Chief, Alex Marshall
I fully accept that the College are exploring Apprenticeships as well, and maybe that’s a better way to go, but in his second paragraph Mr Marshall says
“Police are functioning at graduate level now and we are letting officers and staff down by not recognising their value in the wider world of work……”
Maybe the answer lies in that statement. Maybe we need to develop a Vocational Qualification that is Degree-Equivalent that one achieves when successfully passing the Probationary Period. Is that too simplistic a view?
I thank you and have a good weekend one and all
I still think that the traditional probationer training gives a good introduction into policing and could be structured into modules that could be part of a degree process which could be completed when seeking promotion. The range of modules that could be developed could also assist specialisation. What a young copper needs above all is to have a big dollop of common sense and maturity and on the job frontline experience. A degree in that sense is a complete nonsense.
Totally agree with that idea
As for vetting of recruits it can only tell you if they have any previous or undesirable associates it does not tell you how they will react under pressure or if they will be vulnerable to corruption when they are broke and trying to find the next mortgage payment. I very much doubt a uni degree in Policing will be able to tell you that either.
But intensive recruit training did test recruits both physically and academically and many a Sgt Instructor tested your ability to endure stress, and used to weed out some that were not suitable.
I despair Gordon, I really do. I seriously doubt there is a GENUINE need for this buffoonery but those with rank dismiss our concerns
Alan it’s not just the “fact” that an officer that is in debt is at a greater risk of being corrupted and it would be almost inevitable that some would succumb.
But can you imagine the stress a young officer would be under with the cost of accomodation/mortgage in any major city plus possibility a £40 grand student loan and then load the stress of policing.
It seems like a recipe for disaster.
Poor buggers they don’t stand a chance.
Duty of care! More like throwing them to the wolves.
I’ve seen enough Police Officers in melt down in my time to know this can only add to the burden!
Couldn’t agree more Dot, and all the College can come up with is ‘thorough vetting’ and we know how thorough that can be!!