Potential
police recruits should have to complete a vocational degree or an equivalent
before applying to the service, according to the sector skills body for the
criminal justice system.
Dick
Winterton, chief executive
of Skills for Justice, said the Police Service was the only profession that did
not use the education system to prepare people before they join.
He
compared the situation to other professions, such as engineering and
healthcare, where practitioners do not "simply turn up" at the local
works or hospital and expect training.
Winterton also called for a
professional register to track the skills and competencies of police officers.
He
warned that, unlike most professions, the Police Service had no formal
mechanism for ensuring that people were keeping their
skills up to date.
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