Better qualified officers and a more efficient and productive recruitment process are a must-have in the new age of Policing on the cheap a budget. We should rightly look to cut unnecessary spending and streamline expensive processes to make them fit more into the current financial picture.
What we should not do, however, is engage in a process that can ultimately damage the quality of those on the streets and the confidence of the public in those that wear the uniform.
A recent trend in many forces is to take on increased numbers of Special Constables and PCSO’s compared to Regulars. As the Army increase their Territorial compliment and cut the number of full time paid soldiers, so the balance shifts within the Policing world. Historically, the roll of Special Constable has been seen as one that leads some into full time Policing, but for most it is a vocation. This was almost exclusively the case for the PCSO too…until recently.
With virtually no Police Officer recruitment planned for external applicants until 2013 in most parts of England and Wales, the PLC qualification – to be replaced by the NPIA sanctioned Policing Knowledge Certificate (CKP) next year in the Met (and no doubt other forces) – has caused a definite change to the motivation behind applications to many forces in respect of non-Police Officer posts. I know of many people who have joined forces (particularly the Met and Surrey) as a Special or a PCSO with no intention of doing anything other than gaining access to the PLC and moving on to the internal recruitment process as soon as possible. This option is made more attractive by the fact that many of the forces who ask for the PLC qualification, also offer a discount or interest free loan to existing staff. Some would not be able to fund the course without that help…
You might ask what my issue is with this. Surely these applicants are just exploiting a loophole in order to get access to their chosen career.
That may be the case, but my concern is that for many of those (particularly the PCSO’s) who would previously joined to do the role they applied for, the carrot of internal recruitment will mean they have little or no interest in anything other than getting their hands on the qualification and moving to where they actually want to be. As a result of this, recruitment processes in those forces that use the PLC are now flooded with people who are applying for, and potentially getting, a job they don’t even want to do. Neighbourhood offices risk being crammed with PCSO’s studying for their PLC rather than looking after their neighbourhood!*
With the CKP replacing the PLC and becoming nationally recognised from April 2013, there is no guarantee that the PLC will be worth a bean by the time many get through the course. Should this happen, and potential recruits then have to take the CKP at a cost of up to £1000, many could end up stuck in their ‘gateway’ role for longer than they anticipated. What happens to their motivation then….
My view is that the role of the PCSO is becoming diluted by this situation. Specials are less so as the roles are similar in many respects. I think that the clear definition should be returned before a PCSO post becomes more of a Police apprenticeship with discounted college courses thrown in.
I believe that those forces that are recruiting internally should allow external candidates to stand alongside their internal counterparts. It is hugely short sighted to believe that it is those within the organisation who are, without reservation, the best candidates for Police Officer posts. Whilst I agree with assisted learning within any organisation, I do not agree with the culture that the PLC funding has created and that which the CKP will inherit. Those that do vocational roles such as PCSO should be those that have their heart and soul in the job…not a revision book.
—–
*Before I get thrown to the wolves…. I know that there are many exceptional Specials and PCSO’s out there who do their role exactly as was intended when it was created. I also know there are many that would never consider crossing to the dark side and joining the ‘regulars’, but there are many that would and it is these to which this post relates.
