The police superintendent direct-entry scheme has failed to attract large numbers …reports Asian Lite News.
If reports have the believed then critics point out that the new recruitment scheme to attract professionals into the police force is being driven by ideology and is failing to deliver the diversity it promised.
The government scheme is aimed at attracting and targeting professionals into senior police ranks in order to improve diversity which has been dismissed as an expensive flop after just a handful of candidates successfully applied, reports The Telegraph.
Reports indicate that the direct entry programme, which was launched last year, allows people with the right skills and life experience to join the police at Superintendent level which is a senior level.
But critics have said the scheme is little more than a PR exercise driven by ideology after it emerged that just seven candidates had made it through the selection process this year.
When the scheme was launched last year more than 800 people applied for a place on the 18-month training programme, which carries a £62,000 a year salary.
But after rejecting under qualified or unsuitable candidates, just eight people remained, and are currently in the process of completing their training.
This year just seven hopefuls made it through to the interview stage.
With not all of those expected to begin training, and only seven of the 43 police forces opting to take part, questions have been raised as to whether the scheme will have any impact at all on improving diversity in a service that has more than 1,200 officers at Superintendent rank.
Steve White, the chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, questioned whether the initiative was having any impact given the low numbers taking part.
He told The Telegraph : “This is being driven by an ideology over the culture of the police service, but 15 Superintendents across the country are not going to change the culture of the police service.”
Mr White said he had met some of the candidates already going through their training and had been impressed by their calibre, but said there was already a vast pool of talent from within the ranks, which ought to be tapped.