Complaints against officers

[Fedster + 1,307]

NPCC lead says leavers should mentor, coach and develop younger officers.

CC Matt Jukes

 

Stepping up efforts to keep retiring detectives in the police service is part of the national strategy for boosting the numbers of investigators.

South Wales Chief Constable Matt Jukes has been working on the issues around the shortage of 5,000 detectives nationally and says chiefs are working to a multi-pronged approach to the issue including:

• Direct entry and early streaming.
• Bonuses.
• Increasing support for the roles.
• Examining shift pattern issues.

But the loss of experience through retirement is one issue he hopes he can stem by keeping retiring officers employed in the service.

“With the kind of demographic we’ve got I’m shaking the hands of 50-year-olds every week who are leaving our organisation with phenomenal skills.

“I’m really pleased to say [...] we’re bringing [some of] those individuals back because they can mentor, coach and develop younger officers and they can fill some of those 5,000 gaps and give those other officers the relief that they face and some relief from the work they do,” he told a meeting at the Police Federation Conference.

Asked about agencies taking on those same people and charging forces for their services, he said he wants the police service to be in a position where it doesn’t need to use them.

“I don’t like the idea that private sector organisations are making money out of identifying the skills of people leaving an organisation and then making sure they’re available to be redeployed into that organisation. I think we can do that ourselves.

“I think we can do it and guarantee some [continuous professional development] and some quality in the way that we do it. I’d rather it was in our hands as opposed to private commerce.”

South Wales Police, which CC Jukes took over in January, was one of the forces which made long-serving officers retire under the A19 rule from 2011-2012. Some 82 experienced officers were made to retire in the period.

Legal battles over the issue only concluded last year.

After the session a Police Oracle reporter asked him whether his force’s use of A19 added to some of the issues currently facing the service.

He said that more officers are also choosing to retire after 30 years of service now. “Remember that those early days of officer reductions were steep so forces had little opportunity to plan for the consequence of that,” he said.

“As we go forward we absolutely need to […] plan […] things like workforce planning, succession planning.

“We’ve got to start building the future detective inspectors, SIOs as well in this because hundreds of those left us in the last few years.”

Earlier, Met Police Detective Sergeant Steve George had summed up some of the issues facing recruitment into CID.

“You’ve got individuals, young people in the main, being given an enormous workload getting endless memos and requests from the CPS.

“It’s crisis management for these people all the time. Once the morning’s crisis is over that job sits with one lass or one chap to guide home along with everything that goes with it.

“You can’t have 15-20 things that are priorities. Something’s got to give.”

View On Police Oracle

[Zulu 22 + 4,571]

After 30 years you have had enough, time for enjoyment not added pressure. Have these Chiefs ever been a detective?

[Growley + 2,436]

After 30 years you have had enough, time for enjoyment not added pressure. Have these Chiefs ever been a detective?

The same could be said for many operational roles, and yet many are happy to come back as instructors.

The idea isn't for everyone, but that's like anything in life.

[Beaker 817]

If they're not carrying a caseload, and acting as mentors and instructors then why not? It isn't unusual in some industries to have some old fart at the back of the office who has years of experience you can tap up for advice. They're often totally out of touch with modern systems, but they can do the process without thought. I've worked in a few skilled workplaces you find one of those types, and they're basically kept around because you can't replace that level of experience, and they usually have no projects or set job to do. They can however within minutes of being told either plan out your entire job, or the good ones will point you in the right direction without taking over.

[Pathca + 612]

It's what happens with me in my work place , and most people appreciate 'the voice of experience '