Met police firearms

[Techie1 + 2,024]

Police Now to hold conference today.

Participants in a previous Police Now class

Confidence in the police has increased by 17 per cent among young people in communities that have a neighbourhood police officer recruited and trained through the Police Now scheme.

A survey commissioned by the charity in areas it operates found:

a 10 pc increase in young people’s perceptions of how fairly the police treat people;

a 13 pc increase in how helpful they are;

an 11 pc increase in how friendly and approachable they are;

a 10 pc increase of how good an understanding they have of key community issues.

Independent survey data for Police Now and comparison wards was compared for the year prior to the posting of Police Now officers, against their first 15 months after training. Around 7,000 people were questioned in total, including around 1,000 youngsters.

Police Now, which puts graduates into demanding neighbourhood policing roles, was established as an independent charity by the Met Police in August 2015.

It is now a partner of almost half of forces in England and Wales, with more than 200 new officers being placed into wards in deprived communities this summer.

At a conference organised by the charity today, Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick will say: “Police Now has been an enormously successful way to bring different people into policing. The people in the places that Police Now participants are working are not just more confident in the police but more trusting of each other.”

Home Secretary Amber Rudd says in a report on the programme: “Through Police Now, officers and their local partners are changing the face of community policing in some of the country’s toughest neighbourhoods whilst strengthening the historic British principle of policing by consent.

“Police Now continues to develop fresh approaches to police training and leadership development and is having a broader impact on the development of policing as a profession.”

David Spencer, chief executive and co-founder of the initiative, said: “Police Now is bringing the best graduates into policing - our participants are changing lives and have an unparalleled opportunity to develop their leadership and problem-solving skills on the policing frontline.

"We are incredibly proud of what our participants have achieved over the last two years.”

Applications for the next round of Police Now open later this year.

Red Snapper Learning, which shares a parent company with Police Oracle, is delivering some of the training for participants in this year’s programme.

View on Police Oracle

[MerseyLLB 8,426]

I wasn't sure if I was reading a North Korean government press release there.

What an absolutely unquantifiable suggestion.

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

I wasn't sure if I was reading a North Korean government press release there.
What an absolutely unquantifiable suggestion.

How can it be unquantifiable when it has been quantified - x% increase here and y% increase there.
You can dispute the validity of the work but to me it's quite simple really.
1. Survey people about what they think, from that record the results.
2. Introduce something different.
3. Redo the survey and compare the results.
As I say, you can dispute the validity of what they have done, a lot of people do when they don't agree with what is being reported, but it's pretty standard social sciences research work.

[Growley + 2,436]

I'm not surprised they're being rated as friendly and helpful; that much is consistent with my experience with some of these officers, what I would like to know though is how much crime they detect.

[Indiana Jones + 1,082]

20 minutes ago, Growley said:

what I would like to know though is how much crime they detect.

... or prevent.

[Mac7 808]

I struggle to understand the police now concept. By that I mean what (If any) advantage does it give you over joining the police via the normal route? Is it a fast track promotion scheme? What is its purpose and do they have to pay?

[Growley + 2,436]

24 minutes ago, Mac7 said:

I struggle to understand the police now concept. By that I mean what (If any) advantage does it give you over joining the police via the normal route? Is it a fast track promotion scheme? What is its purpose and do they have to pay?

As far as I'm aware, there isn't any advantage. It's simply part of the Met trying to draw in graduates. I do see a few issues with it though.

[ParochialYokal 1,119]

It sounds like a good idea.

 

I remember the MET developed a graduate scheme a couple of years ago that sought to attract graduates who didn't want to commit to a long term policing career but wanted the experience to go on their CV. I wonder whether this is an evolution of that. I am sure that many stayed and those that joined bought a fresh perspective.

 

Many graduates aren't sure what they want to do and a couple of years in the police would be an attractive option. The Police Now concept involves recruiting a cohort of people who genuinely want to problem solve in order to help communities. Let's be honest, many Officers who worked in neighbourhood policing often only did it for a quiet life or for a desirable shift pattern. Having a bunch of bright young things getting out in the community and trying to tackle the cause of ASB cannot be a bad thing.

 

Recruitment to the police service is now recognising that people are joint for different reasons and channelling people onto the right track from the outset will ensure that diverse range people can be recruited with diverse skills and experiences.

 

The only thing I don't quiet understand is that the training only appears to be 6 weeks long?

 

[Growley + 2,436]

The idea of hiring people who specifically want to problem solve might have merit, but I simply don't agree with this deification of graduates. The job has literally thousands of graduates at PC level already. I work on an OCU traditionally associated with eating crayons, and yet at least a third of my team (myself included) have degrees.

 

[Mac7 808]

I agree Growley. Why do you need a degree to be a good neighbourhood police officer. Surely interpersonal skills, life experience, social skills etc are key to solving problems and not degrees.

I'm not sure how someone with an academic background is better than or more effective than someone with fewer or no qualifications.

Plus isn't this kind of scheme in danger of creating an "elistism" or a "them and us" situation amongst officers.

Like many others - I have a degree.

[MerseyLLB 8,426]

I have not Met a Police Now candidate yet that I know of so I can't use the scheme in any anecdotal format.

However, the new breed of graduate officers, many of whom were on my PC intake, is not as impressive to me as this report suggests.

I find a large number of graduate colleagues lacking interpersonal skills, physical confrontation skills and the ability to exert command presence.

Those who fare better tend to be what I would call socialised graduates - those who are typically the sportier types. One of the better examples I can think of is a chap with a background in theatre...his communication skills are second to none.

However, is there not a better way to seek talent and policing potential than to look to academic performance/choice?

Should recruitment and training not be geared more to who you are and what you can bring to the police than a pre-determined 'stream' of candidate.

I certainly would have no issue with the assertion that policing should be a graduate 'level role in that one might expect skills in report writing, retention/relaying of information, problem solving and a proven ability to research. However the focus on the academic achievement outside of policing is unsatisfactory to me. 

 

[Cathedral Bobby + 1,174]

The only degree which is absolutely essential in the police service is having a "degree of common sense"

[Zulu 22 + 4,576]

1 hour ago, Cathedral Bobby said:

The only degree which is absolutely essential in the police service is having a "degree of common sense"

[Mac7 808]

Who pays for police now training?

[Pavillion 43]

Another fantastic scheme initiated by the senior management, which shows promise. I am grateful for those who can see what the public needs from its police service. 

Well done Met senior management for having the ability to assess what is needed and how to get it to those that need it.